A Manhattan federal judge will not throw out charges that could result in a mandatory life prison sentence for a man accused of plotting bomb attacks in New Jersey and New York that injured 30 people.

Southern District Judge Richard Berman made a series of rulings in U.S. v. Rahimi, 16-cr-760, brought against Ahmad Khan Rahimi, but delayed ruling on whether a government expert can testify about al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden and other terrorist leaders. Prosecutors are to submit written arguments on the subject by noon Monday.

Berman declined a defense request to dismiss two explosives charges, saying judicial precedent from other terrorism cases make clear their relevance to the eight-count indictment.