Pawnshop owner linked to Jersey City shooter denied bail on gun charges

Steve Janoski, NorthJersey.com

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — A federal judge denied bail Monday to a New Jersey pawnshop operator arrested on weapons charges after his phone number and address were found in the pocket of one of the Jersey City shooters.

While the exact connection, if any, between Ahmed A-Hady and the pair who led last week's deadly rampage remains unclear, a judge ruled he posed a danger after police found a cache of firearms and ammunition at his home and store. A-Hady, as a convicted felon, was barred from possessing the guns, authorities said.

A-Hady, 35, stood before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Dickson as the charges were read aloud. Dickson scheduled a second bail hearing for Tuesday on a request that A-Hady be released on $100,000 bail.

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Federal authorities searched the pawnshop, Buy N Sell City, as well as A-Hady’s nearby home after finding a handwritten note with his phone number and anaddress in the back pocket of David Anderson, who police have identified as one of the two shooters in the attack that killed a Jersey City cop and three bystanders in a kosher market.

Federal authorities arrested A-Hady on Saturday after they found rifles, handguns, a shotgun and more than 400 rounds of ammunition, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito.

A-Hady was a "respected businessman" whose contact information is public, and any ties to Anderson were coincidental, his public defender, K. Anthony Thomas, said at the hearing.

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A-Hady was ​​​​​​previously convicted of trying to obtain drugs by fraud, He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the new violations, Carpenito said.

Anderson and Francine Graham died at the kosher market after a three-hour-long gunfight with police.

It remains unclear if A-Hady knew the shooters, or spoke to them prior to their assault, which officials have labeled an act of domestic terrorism. Prosecutors did not any offer further details of their ties on Monday.

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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Jersey City shooting: Pawnshop owner linked to rampage denied bail