A Bergen County jury found Aakash Dalal, a former Rutgers student guilty on Nov. 1 of terrorism and 16 other charges for his role in conspiring with his former school friend Anthony Graziano for vandalism and firebombing of Jewish facilities five years ago, NorthJersey.com reported.
Aakash Dalal, a former Lodi resident, was found guilty on 17 of 20 counts in attacks and vandalism against several synagogues and other Jewish institutions, which occurred between 2011 and 2012 in Rutherford, Paramus, Hackensack and Maywood. Dalal, now 24, will be sentenced on Dec. 21, NorthJersey.com reported.
Dalal was charged as the mastermind behind the attacks who instructed Graziano to carry them out. Graziano was found guilty in May. Reports said that according to Defense attorney Brian Neary “the family is very disappointed with the jury’s verdict” and they plan to appeal, based on whether the terrorism statute that was passed
after 9/11 was properly used in this case. “The statute itself might be unconstitutional,” Neary said. These crimes “don’t put an entire population at the same level of fear as the World Trade Center” attacks of 9/11.