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New York bombings: Ahmad Khan Rahami in custody after shootout – live New York bombings: Ahmad Khan Rahami charged with attempted murder – live
(35 minutes later)
12.30am BST
00:30
Law enforcement sources have now told two separate outlets news organizations that Ahmad Rahami had traveled to Pakistan to recent years, though the reports are unconfirmed and based on anonymous sources.
Rahami traveled to Pakistan in April 2013 and stayed until March 2014, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity to the New York Times. The paper had previously quoted Rahami’s friends as saying that he had gone to Afghanistan, where his family emigrated from.
The official said that in Pakistan, Mr. Rahami stayed in Quetta with relatives who are refugees.
Mr. Rahami also traveled to Pakistan for three months in 2011, the official said.
Earlier on Monday the Daily Beast heard from government officials, also speaking anonymously, that Rahami had traveled to Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Rahami has made at least three and possibly four trips to Pakistan over the past 10 years, one official said. Investigators are now trying to determine where he traveled in the country and particularly if he spent time in the areas near the border with Afghanistan that have been the frequent target of US drone strikes aimed at terrorist groups.
Rahami’s father also was in Pakistan as recently as July 2011, according to the family’s attorney, who informed a judge in a civil suit to which the elder Rahami was a plaintiff that he was not expected back in the country in time for a court proceeding the following month.
In September 2011, the lawyer informed the judge that while the father had returned, his “family is in Afghanistan” but was expected to return within days.
Two officials told the site that Rahami was not on any government terror watchlists.
12.04am BST
00:04
The murder charges against Rahami are related to his shootout with police officers in New Jersey, and not his bombings of New York and New Jersey.
Earlier on Monday prosecutors said they were carefully drawing up what charges Rahami will face: terrorism charges require evidence of actions and motivation, and investigators have repeatedly said that they have more work to do to determine what moved Rahami to set bombs in Manhattan, Seaside Park and Elizabeth.
But charging Rahami with murder allows them to keep him under arrest and in custody, for now at the hospital, on $5.2m bail. Federal prosecutors said they were still weighing charges over the bombings. US attorney Preet Bharara said earlier Monday that he and other federal prosecutors wanted to have “careful and thorough” charges, backed up by evidence, before they formally brought a case against Rahaim on the bombings.
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Rahami charged with attempted murderRahami charged with attempted murder
Prosecutors have charged bombing suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami with five counts of attempted murder, the Union County New Jersey prosecutor’s office has announced.Prosecutors have charged bombing suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami with five counts of attempted murder, the Union County New Jersey prosecutor’s office has announced.
He is also charged with “second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon” and “second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose”.He is also charged with “second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon” and “second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose”.
“Convictions on first-degree criminal charges are commonly individually punishable by 10 to 20 years in state prison, while second-degree charges typically result in terms of 5 to 10 years,” the office said.“Convictions on first-degree criminal charges are commonly individually punishable by 10 to 20 years in state prison, while second-degree charges typically result in terms of 5 to 10 years,” the office said.
Rahami is being held on $5.2m bail and remained at a hospital, and it is not yet clear whether he has an attorney.Rahami is being held on $5.2m bail and remained at a hospital, and it is not yet clear whether he has an attorney.
UpdatedUpdated
at 11.53pm BSTat 11.53pm BST
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Two sets of scavengers played roles in the investigation of the New York and New Jersey bombings, the AP reports.Two sets of scavengers played roles in the investigation of the New York and New Jersey bombings, the AP reports.
On Sunday night, two homeless men grabbed a backpack left in the trash near a train station in Elizabeth, New Jersey, only to discover that it contained several apparent pipe bombs. The men quickly reported the find to police, Mayor Chris Bollwage said.On Sunday night, two homeless men grabbed a backpack left in the trash near a train station in Elizabeth, New Jersey, only to discover that it contained several apparent pipe bombs. The men quickly reported the find to police, Mayor Chris Bollwage said.
A day earlier, two men walking down a New York City street made off with a rolling backpack that someone had left on the sidewalk about 15 minutes earlier.A day earlier, two men walking down a New York City street made off with a rolling backpack that someone had left on the sidewalk about 15 minutes earlier.
But before they walked away, they removed a pressure cooker that had been concealed inside it, New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said. The pressure cooker later was found by state police troopers after a similar device exploded nearby, injuring 29 people.But before they walked away, they removed a pressure cooker that had been concealed inside it, New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said. The pressure cooker later was found by state police troopers after a similar device exploded nearby, injuring 29 people.
The unexploded device was then examined for clues to the bomber’s identity. Police found out that the two men had handled the device only when they looked at surveillance video.The unexploded device was then examined for clues to the bomber’s identity. Police found out that the two men had handled the device only when they looked at surveillance video.
“They looked like they were two gentlemen just strolling up and down Seventh Avenue, at the time,” Boyce said. “Once they picked up the bag, they seemed incredulous that they had actually picked this up off the street, and they walked off with it.”“They looked like they were two gentlemen just strolling up and down Seventh Avenue, at the time,” Boyce said. “Once they picked up the bag, they seemed incredulous that they had actually picked this up off the street, and they walked off with it.”
Asked if it was possible that the scavengers, in handling the bomb, might have jostled it enough to disable its trigger, Boyce said he couldn’t say for sure.Asked if it was possible that the scavengers, in handling the bomb, might have jostled it enough to disable its trigger, Boyce said he couldn’t say for sure.
“It’s difficult to say right now if they at all, inadvertently perhaps even, pulled a wire,” Boyce said.“It’s difficult to say right now if they at all, inadvertently perhaps even, pulled a wire,” Boyce said.
He said the men were being sought as potential witnesses.He said the men were being sought as potential witnesses.
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Local New York station ABC7 has spoken with the bar owner who reported Ahmad Khan Rahami to police on Monday morning, and reported his account of the morning gun battle.Local New York station ABC7 has spoken with the bar owner who reported Ahmad Khan Rahami to police on Monday morning, and reported his account of the morning gun battle.
“This guy is going for his gun or something because he’s going toward this, and that’s when the cop pulled the gun. That’s when he shot twice,” the owner, Harry Bains, said.“This guy is going for his gun or something because he’s going toward this, and that’s when the cop pulled the gun. That’s when he shot twice,” the owner, Harry Bains, said.
“You are the hero. You’re the guy who found the most wanted in America right now,” Charlesworth said.“You are the hero. You’re the guy who found the most wanted in America right now,” Charlesworth said.
“No, I’m not hero. Usually it has happened a couple times, I go and confront people, and I start yelling at them, what the hell you guys are doing in front of my bar? But today, I don’t know what happened. I just spoke to him nicely and it was my gut reaction. Something told me ‘You go call the police,’” Bains said.“No, I’m not hero. Usually it has happened a couple times, I go and confront people, and I start yelling at them, what the hell you guys are doing in front of my bar? But today, I don’t know what happened. I just spoke to him nicely and it was my gut reaction. Something told me ‘You go call the police,’” Bains said.
He said, “What can I tell you, when you see something, say something.”He said, “What can I tell you, when you see something, say something.”
He said he didn’t tell the police he thought it was the suspect, and now he sort of wishes he had because as soon as he heard the shots fired, he was worrying about the police officers.He said he didn’t tell the police he thought it was the suspect, and now he sort of wishes he had because as soon as he heard the shots fired, he was worrying about the police officers.
He shrugs off being called a hero. Bains said he’s always checking out things in the neighborhood that don’t look right. This guy did not look right and he just called police.He shrugs off being called a hero. Bains said he’s always checking out things in the neighborhood that don’t look right. This guy did not look right and he just called police.
You can watch the full interview here.You can watch the full interview here.
11.07pm BST11.07pm BST
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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo made a brief appearance on NBC to again warn the residents of the New York area that they can expect a massive increase of security in teh next few days, if not weeks.New York Governor Andrew Cuomo made a brief appearance on NBC to again warn the residents of the New York area that they can expect a massive increase of security in teh next few days, if not weeks.
At JFK International Airport, Grand Central station and transit hubs all around the city will have more security than ever before. “That is the world we now live in and you’re not going to stop it with bluster and with threats. The anger is real and the anger is portable and it’s here.”At JFK International Airport, Grand Central station and transit hubs all around the city will have more security than ever before. “That is the world we now live in and you’re not going to stop it with bluster and with threats. The anger is real and the anger is portable and it’s here.”
Thank you to our first responders, who are doing a phenomenal job working to keep New Yorkers safe. pic.twitter.com/zQpIO9mGWLThank you to our first responders, who are doing a phenomenal job working to keep New Yorkers safe. pic.twitter.com/zQpIO9mGWL
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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has continued to harp on the New York bombing as an argument for extraordinary immigration restrictions.Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has continued to harp on the New York bombing as an argument for extraordinary immigration restrictions.
In Estero, Florida, he has repeated his demand for an ideological test for immigrant applicants, a spin on his plan announced last December to bar Muslim people from entering the US.In Estero, Florida, he has repeated his demand for an ideological test for immigrant applicants, a spin on his plan announced last December to bar Muslim people from entering the US.
“You can’t have vetting if you don’t look at ideology. And Hillary Clinton refuses to consider an applicant’s worldview and thus their likelihood of being recruited into the terror cause at some later date, which is going to happen in many, many cases. This isn’t just a matter of terrorism.“You can’t have vetting if you don’t look at ideology. And Hillary Clinton refuses to consider an applicant’s worldview and thus their likelihood of being recruited into the terror cause at some later date, which is going to happen in many, many cases. This isn’t just a matter of terrorism.
“This is also really a question of quality of life. We want to make sure we are only admitting people into our country who love our country. We want them to love our country. And we want them to love our people.”“This is also really a question of quality of life. We want to make sure we are only admitting people into our country who love our country. We want them to love our country. And we want them to love our people.”
Ahmad Khan Rahami was only seven years old when his family arrived in the United States in 1995.Ahmad Khan Rahami was only seven years old when his family arrived in the United States in 1995.
And CBS News’ Sopan Deb notes that Trump has himself described a central flaw with his proposal.And CBS News’ Sopan Deb notes that Trump has himself described a central flaw with his proposal.
Re-up: Trump talked up his ideological test today in Florida. Look at his comments from Canton, and you see a fallacy by his own admission: pic.twitter.com/4LzX3tMdgjRe-up: Trump talked up his ideological test today in Florida. Look at his comments from Canton, and you see a fallacy by his own admission: pic.twitter.com/4LzX3tMdgj
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In Elizabeth, New Jersey, the Rahami family has returned home, the Washington Post’s Renae Merle tweets, while WNBC’s Pei-Sze Cheng notes the gradual return to normalcy in New York, about 15 miles away.In Elizabeth, New Jersey, the Rahami family has returned home, the Washington Post’s Renae Merle tweets, while WNBC’s Pei-Sze Cheng notes the gradual return to normalcy in New York, about 15 miles away.
Family of suspected bomber walking back into restaurant in Elizabeth. Father spotted earlier pic.twitter.com/W2xQVqtNB6Family of suspected bomber walking back into restaurant in Elizabeth. Father spotted earlier pic.twitter.com/W2xQVqtNB6
Part of 23rd street still shut down as evidence markers removed from scene. The latest at 5. #ChelseaExplosion pic.twitter.com/XfS0S13itAPart of 23rd street still shut down as evidence markers removed from scene. The latest at 5. #ChelseaExplosion pic.twitter.com/XfS0S13itA
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Investigators have said extremely little about Ahmad Khan Rahami, but reporters are piecing together some details of his life and family’s story.Investigators have said extremely little about Ahmad Khan Rahami, but reporters are piecing together some details of his life and family’s story.
Neighbors have told the Guardian that they suspected nothing from Rahami based on their interactions with him behind the counter of the family’s fried chicken shop in Elizabeth, New Jersey. They described the 28 year old as friendly, generous with free food to regulars, and at least for a time obsessed with cars souped up for racing. Some have said the family was quiet, and that Rahami’s father wore religious clothing but his sons did not.Neighbors have told the Guardian that they suspected nothing from Rahami based on their interactions with him behind the counter of the family’s fried chicken shop in Elizabeth, New Jersey. They described the 28 year old as friendly, generous with free food to regulars, and at least for a time obsessed with cars souped up for racing. Some have said the family was quiet, and that Rahami’s father wore religious clothing but his sons did not.
The family immigrated from Afghanistan some time before 2002, when Rahami was 14 and they opened First American Fried Chicken. Rahami became a naturalized citizen at some point; MSNBC has reported that the family arrived in 1995 and were granted asylum in 2011, though the Guardian could not immediately confirm the dates.The family immigrated from Afghanistan some time before 2002, when Rahami was 14 and they opened First American Fried Chicken. Rahami became a naturalized citizen at some point; MSNBC has reported that the family arrived in 1995 and were granted asylum in 2011, though the Guardian could not immediately confirm the dates.
The family also had a decade-long clash with the city over the restaurant, whose 24-hour operations drew complaints from neighbors about rowdy crowds. City records show repeated complaints by both authorities and the family about their interactions, and one of Rahami’s brothers pled guilty at one point to preventing police from enforcing a city ordinance. His lawsuit against the city, claiming anti-Muslim discrimination, is technically still pending although Mayor Chris Bollwage noted that courts have ruled in the city’s favor.The family also had a decade-long clash with the city over the restaurant, whose 24-hour operations drew complaints from neighbors about rowdy crowds. City records show repeated complaints by both authorities and the family about their interactions, and one of Rahami’s brothers pled guilty at one point to preventing police from enforcing a city ordinance. His lawsuit against the city, claiming anti-Muslim discrimination, is technically still pending although Mayor Chris Bollwage noted that courts have ruled in the city’s favor.
Bankruptcy court documents also showed that the family struggled with money; in 2005 Rahami’s father filed for bankruptcy, saying in hte documents that he had only $100 in the bank and more than $35,000 in debt.Bankruptcy court documents also showed that the family struggled with money; in 2005 Rahami’s father filed for bankruptcy, saying in hte documents that he had only $100 in the bank and more than $35,000 in debt.
Buzzfeed unearthed Rahami’s freshman yearbook, and spoke with one of his ninth-grade classmates, who said: “Very funny, class clown. Got along with everyone, was a very nice kid.”Buzzfeed unearthed Rahami’s freshman yearbook, and spoke with one of his ninth-grade classmates, who said: “Very funny, class clown. Got along with everyone, was a very nice kid.”
The New York Times spoke with a man who grew up with Rahami, 27-year-old Flee Jones, who said that around four years ago Rahami told him he had gone to Afghanistan with one of his brothers. On his return, Jones and neighbor Andre Almeida said he grew a beard and more often wore traditional Muslim robes.The New York Times spoke with a man who grew up with Rahami, 27-year-old Flee Jones, who said that around four years ago Rahami told him he had gone to Afghanistan with one of his brothers. On his return, Jones and neighbor Andre Almeida said he grew a beard and more often wore traditional Muslim robes.
“It’s like he was a completely different person,” he told the paper. “He got serious and completely closed off.”“It’s like he was a completely different person,” he told the paper. “He got serious and completely closed off.”
UpdatedUpdated
at 10.09pm BSTat 10.09pm BST
9.30pm BST9.30pm BST
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New York police tested a new warning measure on Monday morning, sending an alert to millions of people in the city and its environs with a photo and description of Ahmad Khan Rahami, my colleague Sam Thielman reports.New York police tested a new warning measure on Monday morning, sending an alert to millions of people in the city and its environs with a photo and description of Ahmad Khan Rahami, my colleague Sam Thielman reports.
On Monday morning New Yorkers were surprised by a cell phone alert delivered by the Wireless Emergency Alert system (WEA) that told them to be on the lookout for Rahami and gave a brief description along with the instruction “See media for pic.”On Monday morning New Yorkers were surprised by a cell phone alert delivered by the Wireless Emergency Alert system (WEA) that told them to be on the lookout for Rahami and gave a brief description along with the instruction “See media for pic.”
Technologists balked at unorthodox use of the WEA, which is meant for public emergencies only. The use of the system to aid a manhunt is believed to be unprecedented; UC Davis law professor Elizabeth Joh said it raised a troubling precedent.Technologists balked at unorthodox use of the WEA, which is meant for public emergencies only. The use of the system to aid a manhunt is believed to be unprecedented; UC Davis law professor Elizabeth Joh said it raised a troubling precedent.
Urgent action was clearly needed, she said, but “that everyone with a camera & immediate access to social media should be enlisted by means of the cellphone [WEA] is a different question. It’s a difficult balance to strike.”Urgent action was clearly needed, she said, but “that everyone with a camera & immediate access to social media should be enlisted by means of the cellphone [WEA] is a different question. It’s a difficult balance to strike.”
The WEA is limited 90 characters and is not enhanced by images or rich text, but Chris Soghoian of the ACLU speculated that such an enhancement to the system was close at hand.The WEA is limited 90 characters and is not enhanced by images or rich text, but Chris Soghoian of the ACLU speculated that such an enhancement to the system was close at hand.
Texting every phone in NYC with "see media for pic" doesn't seem terribly effective. I predict DHS asking the FCC for amber alerts w/pics.Texting every phone in NYC with "see media for pic" doesn't seem terribly effective. I predict DHS asking the FCC for amber alerts w/pics.
9.13pm BST
21:13
A law enforcement official has told the AP that fingerprints and surveillance video helped investigators identify the man suspected of setting off bombs in the New York area over the weekend.
The official says Ahmad Khan Rahami is seen in surveillance footage “clear as day” at the scene of the Saturday night bombing in Manhattan. The official says investigators were also able to recover his fingerprints from the scene.
Another law enforcement official says investigators pulled over a car “associated” with Rahami when it appeared headed toward an airport Sunday. It had three men and two women in it.
A third law enforcement official says Rahami wasn’t on any terror or no-fly watch lists but had been interviewed for immigration purposes.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the case.
Earlier on Monday FBI agent Bill Sweeney said that the five people questioned had not been charged with any crimes.
Family of the suspected bomber - including dad and brother - returned to their house in Elizabeth, NJ w FBI. Unclear if they're still here.
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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has released a lengthy statement about the bombing attack, blaming Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for “not taking Isis seriously enough” and having “emboldened terrorists all over the world”.
The businessman claims: “I will bring an end to these senseless acts of violence. They are wrong to say that we’re in a fight about ‘narratives.’ These terrorists pose an existential threat to our country, our values, and our way of life.”
They are hoping and praying that Hillary Clinton becomes President so that they can continue their savagery and murder. …
When I am President, terrorists like today’s suspect in the New York and New Jersey bombings, Ahmad Khan Rahami, and yesterday’s knife-wielding ISIS sympathizer in Minnesota, Dahir Adan, will be stopped. We will not look the other way. We will not allow political correctness and soft-on-terror, soft-on-crime policies to threaten our security and our lives.
Trump then blames Obama’s immigration policies, saying that he would have a system of “extreme vetting for immigrants from troubled parts of the world where terrorists live and train”. There are no details or specifics in the statement about how Trump’s screening process would add to the existing, two-year vetting process for refugees, which requires extensive interviews and background checks.
He also thanks law enforcement, saying: “In the past 48 hours, our law enforcement showed again that, without them, our country is neither safe nor secure.”
Details of Ahmad Rahami’s life are still sparsely reported: he was born on 23 January, 1988, in Afghanistan, and his family has lived in Elizabeth, New Jersey, since at least 2002, when they opened a fried chicken restaurant there. Rahami is one of several children, and would have been around 14 in 2002. His family clashed with the city over the restaurant, which drew complaints for the clientele it attracted while operating all night.
Once again someone we were told is ok turns out to be a terrorist who wants to destroy our country & its people- how did he get thru system?
Earlier on Monday, Clinton accused Trump of giving “aid and comfort” to jihadi terrorists by his emphasis on calling them “radical Islamic terrorists” and anti-immigrant proposals.
She said that Trump was politicizing the crimes to make “some kind of demagogic point”.
“I’m the only candidate in this race who’s been part of the hard decisions to take terrorists off the battlefield,” Clinton told reporters. “I have sat at that table in the Situation Room.”
“I know how to do this,” she added.
Early Monday Morning Trump told the Fox News program Fox and Friends that his plan to defeat Isis was to “knock the hell out of ‘em”.
“We’re not knocking them, we’re hitting them once in a while; we’re hitting them in certain places. We’re being very gentle about it. We’re going to have to be very tough,”he said.
Updated
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In New York, life goes on with its usual resilience: commuters and locals unfazed by bombs found in and near the city, a small army of heavily armed police and the warnings about unattended objects, my colleague Ciara McCarthy reports.
Commuters, shoppers and tourists bustled through Grand Central station on Monday, largely carrying on as usual after a bomb in the Chelsea neighborhood injured 29 people over the weekend.
New Yorker Ronnie Santos said he wasn’t worried about the detonation, which went off near the roadway at 23rd Street.
“I think you just kind of have to move on,” Santos said while waiting in line for his morning coffee. “In New York we just kind of expect things like that. You can’t really get too stressed about it.”
Several people who worked at shops in Grand Central noted a “heightened awareness” when they showed up to work on Monday, but said the transportation hub, through which an estimated 750,000 people travel each day, had largely resumed business as usual.
Victoria Bruc, who works in a jewelry store, said she was nervous but had resumed her daily routine with no changes since Saturday’s bombing.
“I work in Grand Central, I’m always concerned that it might be a target,” she said. “But I feel like you have to go on doing your thing, you can’t live in fear.”
Bruc said the transportation hub was humming along as usual, with regular foot traffic passing through the halls and security and law enforcement officers stationed regularly throughout the station. Bruc, 23, added that the visible security presence did make her feel safer working in such a famous and busy train depot. New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, said on Sunday that about 1,000 additional law enforcement officers had been deployed throughout the city “just to err on the side of caution”.
“You’re always concerned when you hear about bombs exploding,” Jim Senn, 71, said visiting from Arlington, Virginia. “But I guess the scope of it wasn’t so great in my mind that it really gave me pause about coming here.”
Several city dwellers noted that in the wake of 9/11, the metropolis had proved its resilience. Dan Summa said he was concerned about Saturday’s attack, but that “you have to keep going on,” he said. “It would feel different someplace else.”
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The quiet town of Linden, New Jersey, were shaken on Monday morning by the gun battle between Ahmad Khan Rahami and police, witnesses tell my colleague Mazin Sidahmed in the town.
“How could this actually happen here in Linden New Jersey?” wondered local Tosha Hardrick, visibly flustered. “It’s not what I would expect.”
In Linden, police have taped off several streets, blocking residents from reaching their homes. Several different police agencies were present and a helicopter circled above.
Hardrick was driving her cousin to work when she heard several gun shots go off. She looked to her left and saw a police officer carrying a backpack in front of a bar, where police are believed to have exchanged fire with the suspect.
Vinnie, who declined to give his last name, was walking out of his house on Elizabeth Street when he saw cops cars rush past his house.
“Then I hear gun shots, Boom Boom!” he said. “The cops are shooting and they’re shooting back at them.”
Adam Machala, who works as a plumber, had a come to a house on Elizabeth street for a job when he heard the gunshots go off. Police ran in the house and told him and the tenants to evacuate immediately.
“They were scared there might be a bomb in the building,” he said. He came back to the scene later to find Rahami handcuffed on the street with police and K9 units swarming the area.
Qunicy Reyes was sitting in his house when he heard what he thought was firecrackers going off not to far away.
“I just kept hearing it over and over,” he said. Eventually his mother called and told him what was happening.
7.39pm BST
19:39
Regulars at the Rahami family’s chicken shop – recently raided by the FBI – have described the suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami as “nice” and generous, my colleague Amber Jamieson reports from Elizabeth, New Jersey.
The family fought bitterly with the city in a federal lawsuit about the chicken shop, and ultimately lost their case to keep it open 24 hours. You can read the full lawsuit here.
“He was my friend,” said Brayant Ocampo, 17, a high school senior who lives nearby and regularly stopped off for late night cheese fries and fried chicken at First America Fried Chicken. “I wouldn’t think he would do something like that.”
“I thought it was a lie. We always eat there. It’s crazy. They’re really, really nice,” said Melani Ragghinti, 18, Ocampo’s girlfriend and another local resident.
“Basically when I went there, he would give me extra for whatever I would get. And I would see him at car meets. He was very cool,” said Ocampo. “I saw him once at the mall, we started walking around just talking,” he added.
Ocampo said he’d often see Rahami working in the shop, along with his father and younger brother and sister, who he believed were both around 16 years old. Ocampo said he never saw a mother around.
“He’ll start around five in the afternoon and he’ll work literally till 2-2:30 in the morning, that’s when the chicken shop would close,” said Ocampo.
“He had a good job, they got good money. Everyone likes eating at the chicken shack,” said Ragghinti.
Ocampo said Rahami was a car buff, who used to own an Acura TL, a popular luxury sedan, but crashed it.
“He actually came up to me because he wanted to look for some parts he needed for the car and I helped him out. I was looking for some parts in the junkyard and he got the headlight, the bumper,” he said.
Just a week ago, Ocampo said he walked past the chicken shop and briefly chatted to Rahami’s younger brother outside, while Rahami worked inside.
Ocampo said he knew Rahami was Muslim but he’d never heard any extremist views from him or any discussion of politics or terrorism. The only thing he’d encountered was some quiet religious study.
“One day I was in the chicken shack and he had a book and he was reading the book while he was listening to music and I asked ‘how can you do that and what kind of book?’. He said it was some kind of religion book, supposedly they read it while they’re listening to music,” said Ocampo.
“He would always be there, and usually when there was no customers he would be there reading it. He said it was like a bible but runs in his religion.”
Neither Ocampo nor Ragghinti could understand Rahami’s actions. “I don’t understand why he would do something like that, obviously he would get caught eventually. He had a good business going on. He just fucked up his life,” said Ragghinti.
Updated
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19:27
A federal law enforcement official has told the AP that the three bombs found in New York and New Jersey had one component in common: a flip-style cellphone.
The official says a pipe bomb that exploded in Seaside Park, New Jersey, was constructed with a threaded pipe and black powder.
The official says two devices found in New York City included pressure cookers, similar to the devices used in the 2013 attack the Boston Marathon that killed three and wounded hundreds of people. The device that exploded contained residue from the commercially available explosive compound Tannerite.
The official was not authorized to publicly discuss the case and spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details of the ongoing investigation.
The two New York bombs were pressure cookers filled with shrapnel and made with pressure cookers, flip phones and Christmas lights, according to law enforcement sources who spoke to the New York Times on condition of anonymity. The unexploded bomb may have been accidentally disabled by two men who took the bag, according to police sources who spoke to local DNA Info, prompting one of their law enforcement sources to ask: “Who in this world finds a pressure cooker with a phone and just takes the bag?”
The suspect is in custody. Thank you to our first responders who have performed with extraordinary skill and courage over the past two days.
Updated
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19:06
What we know so far
They close the press conference with a refusal to provide details about how they linked the devices to the suspect.
Updated
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18:50
NYPD chief Boyce comments on the apparent accidental help of two petty thieves who took the second bomb found Saturday, on 27th street, out of the unattended package it was in.
“Two people picked up the bag, took the device out of it and walked off with the bag,” he says. “They looked like they were two gentlemen just strolling up 7th Avenue at the time,” he adds. “Once they picked up the bag, they seemed incredulous.
“We’re considering them witnesses at this time,” he says, adding that they will release pictures caught on surveillance footage of the men and ask them to come forward.
Sweeney says Rahami did not make any statements during his apprehension, as far as he knows. O’Neill repeats that they are not looking for a second suspect: “Right now we’re not actively seeking anyone.”
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Sweeney stresses that there’s a lot of work to be done about the Rahami’s motivation: “I do not have information yet to show what the path of radicalization was yet.”
At this point we are extremely grateful that we were able to apprehend the suspect out in Linden, New Jersey, he says.
We are the number one target in the world, but as far as this investigation, and working with the FBI, “I know that I’m a lot happier than I was at this time yesterday.”
O’Neill praises “good old fashioned police work” as well as the technology used in the investigation. De Blasio says authorities are not looking for a second suspect at this time.
He warns people to stay on the lookout for suspicious people or objects, “particularly an unattended package, that they report it immediately.”
Sweeney comments on the fact that Rahami was captured alive. “The fact that he survived is excellent, both from an investigative standpoint and that we saved a life.”
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Sweeney is asked about how exactly they identified Rahami – there are reports anonymously sourced to law enforcement saying that the first ID’d him with a fingerprint. Sweeney’s answer is oblique: “Any piece of evidence that we obtained whether it’s a piece, a fragment or whole, is worthwhile, so I will leave it at that.”
O’Neill is asked about motivation. “We don’t have that yet,” he says, “that’s all part of the investigation.”