Urooj Rahman, who throws Molotov cocktails, gets 15 months for setting fire to NYPD car
A former attorney who set fire to an NYPD police car with a Molotov cocktail during a George Floyd protest in Brooklyn was sentenced to more than a year in prison on Friday.
Brooklyn Federal Court Judge Brian Cogan admonished Urooj Rahman before handing out the 15-month sentence, calling the arson attack an “attack on the rule of law” by someone who took an oath to uphold the constitution .
In the United States, Cogan told Rahman, “when you’re driven to fight for social justice, you go to the ballot box, not the bomb.” He added she displayed an “astonishing level of arrogance” in the attack.
“What a bomb does cannot be undone,” said the lawyer.
Rahman has joined a conspiracy to commit arson in June for the May 29, 2020 firebombing near the 88th Precinct precinct building in Fort Greene. As part of the plea deal, federal prosecutors for the Eastern District of New York said they would seek a maximum of two years in prison for Rahman.
Rahman, accompanied by fellow attorney Colinford Mattis, threw a Motolov cocktail at the unoccupied police car as protests over the police killing of George Floyd raged on the streets of Brooklyn that night in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
At a 2021 hearing, prosecutors read out a series of text messages exchanged between Rahman and Mattis, revealing the pair joked about burning down police headquarters and courts over a period of nearly 24 hours.
“I hope they burn everything down,” Rahman said in a message to Mattis hours before protests. “Must burn down all the police stations… probably all the courts as well.”
As Rahman joined the protesters that evening, she wrote to Mattis, “Throwing bottles and tear gas…some fires lit but extinguished…fireworks going off and Molotovs rolling.”
Rahman was arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit arson in June for the May 29, 2020 firebombing near the 88th Precinct train station building in Fort Greene.
Brooklyn Federal Court Judge Brian Cogan called the arson attack an “attack on the rule of law” committed by someone who had taken an oath to uphold the constitution.
“Burning down 1PP,” Mattis replied. “Bring it to them [sic] Neck.”
Rahman and her lawyers argued Friday that prior to that night, she lived a model life that took her from Pakistan to the United States and later to Fordham Law School, where she graduated.
During his law studies, Rahman traveled to various crisis areas around the world, including Northern Ireland and South Africa, to study and help marginalized people.
Cogan thanked her for the impeccable life she led before the fiery Brooklyn night.
“You are a remarkable person who did a terrible thing in one night,” he said.
In tearful remarks at the hearing, Rahman apologized to her ailing mother, who she said had been devastated for the past two years.
During the hearing, Rahman apologized to her mother, who she said was devastated by the incident.
Rahman said she sought treatment for alcohol abuse and other psychiatric issues.
“I got completely lost in the emotions of the night,” Rahman said.
She added that she has since reconnected with her spirituality and religion to atone for the crime – and has sought treatment for alcohol abuse and other psychiatric issues.
“I’m not the person I was anymore,” she said.
Rahman is due to report to jail in mid-January, Cogan said. Mattis, who pleaded guilty to the same charges as Rahman, is due to be sentenced next month.
https://nypost.com/2022/11/18/molotov-cocktail-tossing-urooj-rahman-gets-15-months-for-torching-nypd-car/ Urooj Rahman, who throws Molotov cocktails, gets 15 months for setting fire to NYPD car
