A Decatur man will spend 14 years in prison for using a pipe bomb to blow up a bank ATM and steal $90,000.
What’s Happening: Abdurrahim Jalal, 55, was sentenced Monday after being found guilty of multiple charges including bank theft and using explosives to commit a felony.
• He blew up the ATM at Bank of America in North DeKalb Mall at 3:11 a.m. on March 29, 2023
• After stealing the money, he went on a gambling spree at a North Carolina casino
Between the Lines: When investigators searched Jalal’s home, they found eight more pipe bombs that were fully built or nearly finished.
Catch Up Quick: Jalal was caught after investigators got a warrant to search his Decatur home following the ATM explosion.
• He was found guilty after a bench trial in June.
• He will serve three years of supervised release after his prison sentence
The Big Picture: Federal prosecutors are treating crimes with explosives as serious threats to public safety. U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg said Jalal “shamelessly gambled with the loot” but “refused to wager his own money at the gaming tables.”
The Sources: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, FBI Atlanta, ATF, DeKalb County Police Department, DeKalb County Fire Rescue
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
