It was a pressure cooker, with dark-colored wiring sticking out, connected by silver duct tape to what appears to be a cellphone, the officials said. The person wasn’t authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
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The FBI said Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, was born in Afghanistan but is a United States citizen.
The suspicious devices turned up in a backpack early Monday morning.
It was one of five potential explosive devices that tumbled out of the backpack when it was emptied. He added that there was no damage to the train infrastructure nearby.
The shootout happened Monday in Linden, New Jersey, a local and federal law enforcement official said.
In Elizabeth, New Jersey, police detonated a device on Monday, September 19 following concerns it was a live bomb.
Despite the timing of the attacks, authorities have yet to draw a connection between the series of explosions. They are reportedly suspects in the Chelsea bombing, but their ties to the Elizabeth bombing or the bombs that exploded in a trash can during a 5K race in Seaside Park, N.J. on Saturday are unclear at this time.
There were no reports of injuries. But, he told CBS News, the men didn’t see who dropped the device in the trash. Amtrak said 2,400 passengers were affected and trains were being brought in to other stations for people to get other transportation. Port Authority Trans-Hudson trains, ferries and buses are honoring those rail tickets.
FBI Newark said a suspicious package contained “multiple improvised explosive devices”.
Mayor Bollwage told CNN that there was not a “cell phone or detonation device” on the package. The incident unfolded after two men found the backpack in a waste basket on North Broad Street and Julian Place around 9:30 p.m., the mayor said. Both New Jersey Transit and Amtrak warned of delays following the incident.
With investigation underway, train service has been suspended between Newark’s Liberty Airport and Elizabeth, while New Jersey-bound Amtrak trains from NY are being held at the Penn Station.
Law enforcement had been examining a device near the Elizabeth train station.
Bomb technicians from the FBI, Union County and New Jersey State Police responded to the scene.
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The FBI is leading the investigation. Luckily, nobody was injured in the latest scare, which comes just one day after a bomb exploded in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City.
