Preet Bharara, the chief federal prosecutor in Manhattan, said Wednesday that while terror charges were filed in both NY and New Jersey, the first case would proceed against Rahami in NY.
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The indictment says a video recovered from the cell phone of a relative of Rahami, shows him lighting incendiary material in a cylindrical container two days before the bombings.
In addition, the neighbor said Rahami’s father had expressed concern his son may be in contact with people overseas who were collecting explosives, ABC news was told. It turns out he was also shot in the torso, and one round narrowly missed a vital organ, sources said.
Rahami is an Afghan-born USA citizen.
Despite new reports of more serious injuries, officials say Rahami is still expected to survive. Still concerned about his travel, they notified the National Targeting Center, a federal agency that assesses potential threats, two law enforcement officials said. On the same day, he allegedly planted bombs in two cities in New Jersey.
Republican Donald Trump has seized on the fact Mr Rahami was born in Afghanistan to bolster his tough stance on immigration admissions.
Rahami, an Afghan-born US citizen, has been unconscious and intubated for much of the time since undergoing surgery, said Robert Reilly, a spokesman for the FBI’s Newark office. However, Sweeney did not address terrorism-related allegations.
Police in New York City say hundreds of 911 callers have reported suspicious packages since the Saturday night explosion in Manhattan.
As the charges were made public, the White House for the first time said it appeared the attacks were an act of terrorism.
Earlier, authorities said Rahami vowed to martyr himself rather than be caught after setting off explosives and hoped “the sounds of bombs will be heard in the streets”. Mayor Bill de Blasio says he could be armed and risky.
AP spokesman Paul Colford said the news cooperative told law enforcement officials about Rahami’s work at the Cranbury facility. They didn’t find anything on him.
He said Ahmad Rahami asked him for forgiveness over the dispute with his brother, but he refused, saying he couldn’t until he knew for sure he wasn’t a terrorist.
The FBI had no immediate comment on the father’s remarks Thursday.
Anyone with information regarding the location of the two men, can call the FBI’s tip line at (800) CALL-FBI (800-225-5324), the local FBI office or the nearest US embassy or consulate.
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When these types of complaints come in, they usually go into the FBI’s Guardian Threat Tracking System, which prompts a limited level of investigation and surveillance.
