Man accused of killing 4 to punish US pleads not guilty

NEWARK (AP) — A Seattle man accused of killing four people in two states to punish the U.S. government for its foreign policies has pleaded not guilty in New Jersey.

NJ.com reports that Ali Muhammad Brown pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder and terrorism charges for the 2014 killing of a New Jersey college student.

Prosecutors say the 30-year-old Seattle man is the first person to be charged in New Jersey with terrorism connected to a murder case.

Brown is charged with the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Brendan Tevlin last June. Tevlin was stopped at a northern New Jersey traffic light when he was shot.

Brown faces three aggravated murder charges in Seattle. Authorities have said the killings by the Muslim man were part of a crusade to punish the U.S. government for its foreign policies toward Islamic states.

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