Rahami, now shackled to a hospital bed in New Jersey, suspected of bombing three New York City area targets last weekend, appeared to have been self-radicalized – and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is trying to figure out if he had help along the way.
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William Sweeney, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s NY division, said that Rahami was not previously on the bureau’s radar and that investigators were working to determine whether he was radicalised in some way or if there was some other motive.
The FBI’s 2014 inquiry began after his father expressed concerns his son might be a terrorist, law enforcement officials said Tuesday. It was also made from a pressure cooker connected with wires to a cell phone and packed with a high-explosive main charge, ball bearings and steel nuts, the complaint states. Federal law enforcement officials said they believe that Rahami was responsible for that incident, too. Justice Department guidelines restrict the types of actions agents may take; they can not, for instance, record phone calls without obtaining a higher level of approval or developing more grounds for suspicion.
Rahami, 28, a naturalized US citizen from Afghanistan who lived with his Muslim family in Elizabeth, New Jersey, underwent surgery for a gunshot wound to the leg as authorities began drawing up charges in a case that spread fear across the NY area and revived anxiety about homegrown terrorism.
(New Jersey State Police via AP).
Another law enforcement official said the father “recanted the whole story”.
Rahami’s wife, Asia Bibi Rahami, and his mother reportedly left the USA days before the attacks were carried out, raising additional questions about the bombings in Chelsea and the Jersey shore.
Sepulveda wouldn’t discuss where else Rahami had security assignments but said he was unaware of any complaints about his conduct.
The pipe bomb that exploded Saturday in Seaside Park went off before a charity 5K race to benefit Marines and sailors. Only one exploded, and no one was injured. One of the bombs left in Manhattan didn’t explode.
On Sunday, multiple explosive devices were found inside a backpack near the entrance of the New Jersey Transit station in Elizabeth at around 8:40 p.m. Investigators have not publicly tied Rahami to those devices.
– Investigators first identified Rahami on Sunday afternoon through a fingerprint, according to a senior law enforcement official.
Rahami has not spoken with investigators, a law enforcement official said.
Rahami is an Afghan-born US citizen.
“He just woke up and looked up at the crack and said, ‘Oh I am sorry, ‘ and he moved to the other side of the door”, Bains – who owns the Linden, New Jersey bar, Merdie’s Tavern – told MSNBC. The FBI had released his name and mugshot, setting off an intensive manhunt. But so far he has not spoken to interrogators. She says the charges reflect the Justice Department’s “unwavering determination to finding, capturing and prosecuting all those who attempt to commit or commit acts of terror against our nation”. USA media reported he was captured with a bullet-torn notebook that contained pro-al-Qaida writings.
An Afghanistan-born American sought in connection with a series of bombings that wounded 29 people in the New York City area is in custody after a gun battle with police.
So when the 28-year-old Afghan immigrant was apprehended Monday as the lead person of interest in bombings in NY and New Jersey, those who knew him expressed shock, questioning whether his turn to religiosity in recent years might have hinted at views otherwise kept hidden.
Students at the school wrote get well cards for Padilla and Officer Pete Hammer, who were hurt in Monday’s shootout. “He stabbed my son”.
Rahami was accused of stabbing a relative in 2014, but a grand jury declined to proceed with criminal charges, court records show. He was sued in small claims court in 2012.
“I thought it was something to do with this because he lived in Elizabeth”. “Hopefully that means he had nowhere to go”.
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It’s unclear when Rahami first came to the United States. Sires said his office corresponded with the USA embassy in Pakistan to check on the case and that Rahami’s wife was eventually granted a visa, though he was unsure if she entered the country.
