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Prosecutors, public defender squabble over status of accused NY bomber

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.

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New Jersey Congressman Albio Sires confirms Rahami sent an email from Pakistan to Sires’ office, wanting to know the status of an entry visa and passport for his wife.

Rahami, who was born in Afghanistan but became a US citizen, spent time at the Kaan Kuwa Naqshbandi madrassa on his two visits to Pakistan in 2011 and 2013, a security official working for the government of Balochistan province in Pakistan told the newspaper.

Officer Angel Padilla will visit Linden School No. 5 on Thursday. Members of the Muslim Community Center of Union City, New Jersey say that Mohammed is a well-known member of the Muslim community and participates in board activities.

Authorities say Rahami shot Padilla in his protective vest before other officers exchanged gunfire with Rahami and subdued him. They said they are being considered witnesses in the case.

Authorities say Lee Parker and a friend contacted police after finding the bag near the Elizabeth train station.

A picture of Ahmad Khan Rahami, the man believed to be responsible for the explosion in Manhattan on September 17, 2016, and an earlier bombing in New Jersey, is displayed at a news conference at New York City police headquarters two days later. No injuries were reported in either of the New Jersey incidents.

Investigators of last weekend’s bombings have released an image of two men who took a suitcase they found on a city street, possibly without realizing a wired pressure cooker they removed from it and left behind could have blown them to bits.

Earlier this week, the FBI said it previously conducted an assessment of Rahami, which included interviews with his father, but the inquiry did not provide anything that required further investigation.

Asia Rahami left the United States for Pakistan a number of weeks before the bombings and was stopped by officials Sunday or Monday in the United Arab Emirates on her way back from Pakistan, a second official said.

He also faces federal terror-related charges, but will not be arraigned on those until he is transported to NY. Rahami is also suspected of leaving explosive devices at various locations in New Jersey. He was officially charged with planting explosives on Tuesday.

Federal prosecutors say bombing suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami bought components online and recorded a video of himself igniting a blast in a backyard. One of the bombs in New Jersey exploded but didn’t injure anyone, and the rest failed to detonate before police recovered them. The FBI, he claimed, “checked it nearly two months”.

The judge was also unpersuaded by federal defender claims that federal law enforcement is involved in detaining and questioning Rahami.

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Rahami, suspected of planting the Chelsea bomb and another in Seaside Park, New Jersey, was hospitalized in New Jersey after he was wounded in a shootout with police on Monday.

Federal prosecutors charge man with planting series of bombs in NYC, NJ