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August 24, 2010

Bail reinstated for Pakistani man living in S. Portland

By Trevor Maxwell tmaxwell@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

A Pakistani man living in South Portland was ordered to be released from federal custody today on $10,000 bond.

Mohammad Shafiq Rahman

The order releasing Mohammad Shafiq Rahman came at the conclusion of a hearing this morning in U.S. Immigration Court in Boston, the Boston Globe is reporting.

Rahman was one of three Pakistani men from Maine and Massachusetts arrested on immigration violations during the investigation of the attempted Times Square car bombing earlier this year in New York City.

Judge Brenda O'Malley this morning reinstated cash bail in the amount of $10,000, and Rahman's wife was hoping to post that soon.

"Both of us have relied on our love for each other to get through this,'' Sara Rahman told a Globe reporter at the federal building in Boston. "Throughout all of this, he's continued to give me strength and support.''

Rahman's lawyer, Cynthia Arn of Portland, said the pending release is a validation of her client's earlier claims that he had nothing to do with the Times Square bombing attempt. She said Rahman will petition to remain in the U.S., based on his marriage.

"This will turn into a run of the mill adjustment of status,'' Arn said, according to the Globe.

Rahman, a computer programmer, came to the United States legally in 1999, has no criminal record and got married in March. He is accused of overstaying his visa.

Rahman knew Faisal Shahzad, the man who pleaded guilty to the attempted bombing, when Rahman lived in Connecticut a decade ago because they were both part of the Pakistani community.

Authorities have said that Rahman and two men arrested in Massachusetts may have given money to Shahzad through an informal money transfer network, but may not have known how the money would be used. No criminal charges were brought against the three men.
 

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