New Yorkers know what they feel: We are terrorized, we are scared.
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US media reports say five people were taken into custody for questioning late on September 18 as part of an investigation into a homemade bomb that exploded on Manhattan’s west side a day earlier, injuring 29 people.
To neighbors and customers of his family’s storefront chicken takeout, Ahmad Khan Rahami was a friendly, quiet presence behind the counter who liked talking about cars and was generous with free food.
The president said he was monitoring the situation closely, and had spoken to FBI Director James Comey. A cell phone connected to the pressure cooker also provided clues, the official said.
A law enforcement official said investigators regard Mr Rahami as the “main guy” in the two explosions but plan to look into whether any others had a role.
But the Rahamis changed after a trip to Afghanistan several years ago, Jones and sources said.
There was no immediate evidence as to what motivated the bombings and there was no indication that an extremist cell was operating in the area, Federal Bureau of Investigation agent William Sweeney told a press conference.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, touring the site of the blast in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, known for its vibrant arts scene and large gay community, said there didn’t appear to be any link to worldwide terrorism.
The attacks came as world leaders prepared to gather at the United Nations in NY for the annual General Assembly this week, just days after the 15th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Two officers were also injured in the shootout.
Authorities now say that Ahmad Khan Rahami, an Elizabeth man suspected of planting bombs in the region, was the one and only suspect in recent area bombings, contradicting an earlier announcement that he did not act alone.
After discovering the fingerprint and combing through the surveillance videos the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) posted a tweet with four photos of Rahami.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Monday appeared to agree with Trump, calling on the Obama administration to suspend many of Rahami’s constitutional rights by designating him an “enemy combatant”.
But according to the New York Times, “a high-ranking law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation” says Rahami spent over three months in the Union County Jail on weapons and aggravated assault charges in 2014.
But, with Rahami as a named suspect, police descended on his family home in Elizabeth.
Authorities suspect him of setting off a bomb that wounded 29 people in Manhattan on Saturday, as well as leaving a bag with five other devices in New Jersey on Sunday, one of which exploded without causing injury.
Before Rahami’s capture, Cuomo said investigators have no reason to believe there are further threats, but the public should “be on constant guard”.
The suit was settled in 2012 in the city’s favour, Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage told reporters.
Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton said her rival’s anti-Muslim rhetoric gives “aid and comfort” to Islamic terrorists by helping them recruit fighters. His last known address was in Elizabeth.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said 28-year-old Ahmad Khan Rahami could be armed and unsafe.
In 2011, the family sued the city of Elizabeth, and its police department for discrimination and harassment against Muslims stemming from disputes over the restaurant’s hours. He went to a local police precinct to file a report for his insurance company and police contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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It is not surprising anymore to find that America has homegrown Muslim terrorists who are radicalised overseas: A famous example is an American terrorist of Pakistani origin David Coleman Headley who conspired with the Lashkar-e-Taiba in plotting the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
