PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A Pakistani man detained on an immigration violation in Maine while authorities investigated the attempted Times Square car bombing will continue to be held in jail because an immigration judge revoked his bail.
Mohammad Shafiq Rahman’s family rounded up the $10,000 to secure his release only to learn the judge had revoked bail at the urging of immigration officials, said Barry Hoffman, Pakistan’s consul general in Boston.
Rahman’s attorney is seeking another bail hearing, Hoffman said. Rahman, a computer specialist who overstayed his visa, continues to be held in the Cumberland County Jail.
It was unclear why immigration officials urged the judge to reverse the June 30 decision to set bond. A spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement didn’t respond to a request for comment.
“It seems like they’re spending so much of their resources going after someone like Mohammad Rahman,” Hoffman said Thursday. “I’m sure there are real terrorists out there. Spending all their resources on this case has me mystified.”
Rahman’s wife and his attorney didn’t immediately return messages Thursday.
Rahman, of South Portland, was one of three Pakistani men in New England charged with immigration violations as authorities investigated the May 1 attempted car bombing.
His lawyer, Cynthia Arn, has said there’s “no connection” between Rahman and Faisal Shahzad, who pleaded guilty to 10 terrorism and weapons charges in the Times Square case.
Rahman, who has no criminal record and got married in March, knew Shahzad when he lived in Connecticut a decade ago because they were both part of the local Pakistani community, but they haven’t spoken in years, Arn has said.
Rahman’s next court appearance is July 27, said Kathryn Mattingly, spokeswoman for the Department of Justice’s executive office for immigration review. He has been detained in administrative segregation at the Cumberland County Jail since his May 13 arrest, said Sheriff Mark Dion.
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- In this May 5 file photo a Pakistani man reads about the Times Square bomb attempt at a newsstand in Islamabad, Pakistan.
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