Grand jury yet to weigh NY pipe bomb terror case

Grand jury yet to weigh NY pipe bomb terror case

NEW YORK (AP) — A terror case against a man charged with plotting pipe bomb attacks on police and soldiers has yet to go to a grand jury nearly two months after his arrest, and prosecutors and his lawyer are allowing more time before authorities seek an indictment, his lawyer said Friday.

Jose Pimentel had been set to learn Monday whether he’d been indicted in an unusual terror case brought under state instead of federal laws. But defense lawyer Lori B. Cohen said both sides had agreed to extend the timeframe, likely for about a month and a half, as she reviewed information about the case.

Prosecutors are “giving us some discovery to find out more about the case,” she said, using a legal term for information. She wouldn’t elaborate.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to comment.

Pimentel, 27, is being held without bail on charges including weapons possession and conspiracy as terror crimes. It’s unclear whether he’ll have to appear at Monday’s court date.

The Dominican-born al-Qaida sympathizer, also known as Muhammad Yusuf, was arrested in November while making a pipe bomb, authorities said. He later told police he was about an hour from finishing the weapon, they said.