Bengaluru: Urooj Rahman, a Pakistani-based lawyer in the US, who has been charged with throwing a Molotov cocktail into a New York Police Department (NYPD) van during the George Floyd’s death protest, was granted bail. 

The guarantee was given by a former intelligence analyst who worked under the erstwhile Barack Obama administration as reported by New York Post. 

The intelligence analyst who gave the guarantee is Salman Rizvi. 

As reported by the website, Rizvi said to the judge, “Urooj Rahman is my best friend and I am an associate at the law firm Ropes & Gray in Washington, DC. I earn $255,000 a year.” 


It might be recalled that earlier, Rizvi had worked in the State and Defence departments during the Obama administration from 2008 to 2013 and was involved in “sanctioned finance operations”.

A note on Fatima’s alleged crime: 

The website adds that Colinford Mattis, a corporate atttorney and Rahman are accused of driving around near the 88th Precinct stationhouse in Fort Greene on Friday night and early Saturday and trying to pass out Molotov cocktails to crowds protesting the death of George Floyd who were clashing with police.

Shortly before 1 am, Rahman allegedly got out of the minivan that Mattis was driving and tossed one of the firebombs into an empty cop car near the stationhouse.

They were arrested nearby and charged federally with causing damage with fire and explosives to a cop car.

Strong objection to Rahman’s release: 

It should be noted that prosecutors were not happy about Rahman’s release during Monday’s hearing.

“We don’t believe this is the time to be releasing a bomb-thrower like the defendant into the community,” argued federal prosecutor Ian Richardson.

Meanwhile, an autopsy report claimed that George Floyd was diagnosed with Covid-19 last April and died of cardiopulmonary attack. 

The officer Derek and a few more police officers have been pulled up. Derek has been charged with third degree murder and manslaughter and is slated to appear in a court this week.