No official news of surveillance footage or other evidence connecting anyone but Rahami to the spate of bomb incidents has yet emerged, and William Sweeney, Jr. assistant director in charge of the FBI’s NY division, told The Washington Post that authorities have uncovered “no indication that there is a [terror] cell operating in the area”. No one was hurt in the New Jersey incident.
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Police in Linden received a call about a man sleeping in a doorway and when one officer, who recognized the person as the bombing suspect, tried to rouse him, Rahami opened fire and hit the officer in the abdomen.
Some of the various bombs found in NY and New Jersey this weekend were stumbled upon by amateur thieves who may have helped prevent their detonation, DNAinfo reports. Police also found a fingerprint that helped identify Rahami. “And that kind of toughness and resoluteness and a recognition that neither individuals nor organizations like ISIL can ultimately undermine our way of life”, Obama said.
No one was injured in the other blasts.
Early on Saturday, a pipe bomb exploded in a shore town ahead of a charity race.
Also this weekend, authorities are investigating the stabbings of nine people at a Minnesota mall as a potential act of terrorism, a finding that would realize long-held fears of an attack in the immigrant-rich state that has struggled to stop the recruiting of its young men by groups including the Islamic State. Officials said the device had been packed with BBs and ball bearings.
On Sunday, a federal law enforcement official said the Chelsea bomb contained a residue of Tannerite, an explosive often used for target practice that can be picked up in many sporting goods stores. He added he had spoken to Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton.
At least two officers were injured and taken to local hospitals, where they are in stable condition.
The confrontation occurred after Rahami was discovered in the vestibule of a nearby bar, said reports.
The bombing suspect undergoes a surgery after a gun wound.
“I think this is something that maybe will … happen more and more all over the country”, Republican nominee Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox News on Monday. On Monday morning, a third bomb exploded near a train station in Elizabeth, New Jersey as police were trying to disarm the device.
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The raid in Elizabeth came hours after an explosive device left near a train station there blew up when a bomb squad robot cut a wire on the mechanism, the mayor said. Cops later found the disabled bomb and safely removed it from the area.
