“I’m saying they’re from different parts of Pennsylvania, they’re in different age groups, they’re not known to each other. They did not live together. They do not have family or school ties.”
An attorney representing one of the two men charged with an attempted ISIS-inspired attack in New York City over the weekend has claimed that his client did not know the other defendant charged in the case.
Speaking with reporters, the attorney representing Emir Balat, Mehei Essmiei, said, “I’m saying they’re from different parts of Pennsylvania, they’re in different age groups, they’re not known to each other. They did not live together. They do not have family or school ties.”
“There is no reason to believe they knew each other prior to this incident, and I don’t know how well they knew each other at the time of this incident,” he added.