Dalal has been incarcerated for more than 3 years.
By Raif Karerat
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A judge set a May 2016 trial date for a 23-year-old Indian American man who has been accused in separate indictments of planning attacks on several synagogues and conspiring to murder a county prosecutor, in New Jersey.
Prosecutors accuse Aakash Dalal of New Brunswick, N.J. of using electronic messaging to plan four firebombings in Bergen County, including one in which Molotov cocktails allegedly were thrown into the home of a rabbi and his family in Rutherford, according to The Record.
Prosecutors said Dalal’s co-defendant, Anthony Marco Graziano, also 23, carried out the bombings in December 2011 and January 2012 under Dalal’s direction — including one at Congregation Beth El in Rutherford, another at Temple K’Hal Adath Jeshrun of Paramus, and an attempted arson at the Jewish Community Center of Paramus, according to Cliffview Pilot.
Following his arrest in early 2012 on charges of conspiring to attack the facilities, a search of Dalal’s prison cell allegedly uncovered “an enemies list” and a plot to murder Martin Delaney, the assistant prosecutor in charge of his investigation, authorities said.
The list also demonstrated threats against Superior Court judges in Hackensack, but no indictment relating to the judges was filed.
In all, Dalal was charged with 29 counts in connection with the firebombings, arson, and attempted murder in one indictment; while in the other, he was charged with conspiracy to murder the assistant prosecutor, conspiracy to possess a firearm and making terroristic threats.
Graziano was arrested in January 2012 following an expansive manhunt after surveillance footage released to the public showed him leaving a Wal-Mart in Saddle Brook, N.J. with a bag of items that could be used to construct bombs.
Authorities first believed that Graziano acted alone, but a scan of his computer turned up correspondence with Dalal, a childhood friend.
Dalal had arranged to post $1 million bail when the alleged murder plot against Delaney was discovered. His bail was then increased to $4 million, while Graziano’s is $2.5 million; both remain in Bergen County Jail.