HACKENSACK, N.J., March 6 (UPI) -- A New Jersey court Wednesday denied an accused synagogue arsonist's motion to remove a prosecutor the defendant said had a personal interest in the case.
The motion, which was written by the defense attorney of Aakash Dalal, 20, of New Brunswick, and said the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office should be removed from the case because of an alleged plot by Dalal to kill the assistant prosecutor originally assigned to the case, was found by the Hackensack court to be without merit as Delaney is no longer involved with the case, NJ.com reported.
A grand jury Friday returned an indictment of Dalal and Anthony Graziano on 30 criminal charges that included attempted murder, bias intimidation and aggravated arson.
Police said Dalal is accused of encouraging Graziano to set fire to a Paramus synagogue and throw a firebomb into a Rutherford synagogue while Rabbi Nosson Schuman and his family were asleep inside.
While in prison, Dalal allegedly plotted to get a handgun with which to kill Martin Delaney, the original prosecutor on this case. A search of Dalal's cell and personal property at the jail disclosed his plot to kill Delaney, said Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli.
Dalal's bond was then raised from $1 million to $4 million. Dalal and Graziano have been incarcerated since early last year.
