Federal prosecutors have charged Ahmad Khan Rahami with planting a series of bombs in NY and New Jersey, including one that injured 31 people when it blew up on a busy street.
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Rahami, an Afghan-born USA citizen was shot and severely injured during his arrest on Monday.
“Asia Bibi Rahami arrived at JFK airport in NY on Wednesday night and will be questioned by authorities, the source said”, the report states.
A criminal complaint was unsealed Tuesday at a federal court in Manhattan charging Rahami with four counts, including use of a weapon of mass destruction.
As authorities tried to piece together information on Ahmad Rahami, his wife gave them a statement this week after walking into the U.S. Embassy in the United Arab Emirates.
He also said that contrary to reports in US media, Rahami’s wife, Asia Bibi Rahami, is not a citizen of Pakistan.
A USA law enforcement official confirmed the elder Rahami had twice met with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, first saying that he was anxious his son was hanging out with people who might have connections to militants, but two weeks later contending his real concern was that the son was associating with criminals. He has been charged with a litany of crimes related to the bombings, in addition to attempted murder charges for allegedly opening fire on police Monday just before he was apprehended.
A law enforcement official says investigators have not yet been able to question the man charged with planting bombs in NY and New Jersey because of the severity of his injuries.
Investigators also have been looking into Rahami’s overseas travel, including a visit to Pakistan a few years ago, and want to know whether he received money or training from extremist organizations.
– Associated Press writers Eric Tucker in Washington and Josh Cornfield in Trenton, New Jersey, contributed to this report. One of the bombs in New Jersey exploded but didn’t kill or injure anyone, and the rest failed to detonate before police recovered them.
The official said that information provided by Asia Rahami could be of “immense value” in clarifying the motive for her husband’s alleged bombings and attempted bombings. Authorities say his head was grazed by bullet or shrapnel as the officers exchanged gunfire with suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami.
Both officers were treated and released from a hospital.
Ahmad Khan Rahami was arrested for stabbing a person in the leg and possession of a firearm in 2014.
U.S. authorities investigated whether Rahami, the naturalised American citizen captured on Monday, had accomplices in the bombings or if he was radicalised during trips to Afghanistan and Pakistan. But a grand jury declined to indict him, despite a warning from the arresting officer that Rahami was likely “a danger to himself or others”.
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West 23rd Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues is open to pedestrians and vehicles.
