NJ/NY bomb suspect pleads not guilty of trying to kill cops

ELIZABETH, N.J. (WTXF/AP) - The man accused of setting off bombs in New Jersey and New York has made his first court appearance on charges he tried to fatally shoot police officers in New Jersey trying to capture him.

Ahmad Khan Rahimi's public defender pleaded not guilty on his behalf to charges of attempted murder of police. Rahimi appeared via video from his hospital bed in Newark.

The Afghan-born U.S. citizen has been hospitalized with gunshot wounds since a police shootout that led to his capture on Sept. 19 outside a bar in Linden.

Rahimi, 28, is accused of detonating a pipe bomb along the route of a Marine Corps charity race in Seaside Park and a pressure cooker bomb in New York City on Sept. 17. No one was injured in the New Jersey blast, and 31 people were hurt in the New York blast. A second pressure cooker bomb did not explode.

He's charged with five counts of attempted murder of a police officer and weapons offenses.

A video stream of Rahimi was shown in the courtroom in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Rahimi's head was propped up on pillows. A public defender stood next to him wearing a disposable hospital gown and plastic gloves.

Authorities did not provide details on Rahami's medical condition, citing privacy laws.