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Ahmad Khan Rahami: US blasts suspect a 'very friendly guy' Ahmad Khan Rahami: US blasts suspect a 'very friendly guy'
(about 9 hours later)
The Afghan-born American who is in custody after the weekend's bombings in New York and New Jersey was employed at a fried chicken restaurant. To patrons at the fried chicken restaurant where he worked, the New York and New Jersey terror suspect was an amiable car enthusiast.
Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, worked with members of his family at First American Fried Chicken in Elizabeth, New Jersey. But a childhood friend says he saw a marked change in Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, after he made a trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan several years ago.
He lived with his family above the takeout spot, a few miles from Newark Liberty International Airport. The Afghan-born American had returned a "completely different person", according to the friend.
"He's a very friendly guy, that's what's so scary," said one patron, Ryan McCann. He seemed more stern and wore religious Muslim clothing.
Mr McCann said: "I come in here about once every week or two, just to get something to eat. He's always in there." Mr Rahami lived with family members above his place of work, First American Fried Chicken, in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
He added: "They never seemed out of the ordinary, they just Americanised. Childhood friend Flee Jones said Mr Rahami had given him free food and space in the restaurant to hold rap contests.
"You would've never knew anything. He'd always talk about his cars. Mr Jones said Mr Rahami was formerly his basketball partner, but that he had changed after returning from trips to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"He loved Civics, he loved going fast, that's what he did, he'd talk about his cars." "It's like he was a completely different person," Mr Jones told the New York Times.
The family home is being searched by officers. "He got serious and completely closed off."
The takeaway spot was known to officials in the city of Elizabeth because of complaints about the late-night rowdy behaviour of patrons. Friends say Mr Rahami travelled to Quetta and Karachi, Pakistani cities that are home to a large community of Afghans who have fled conflict in their country.
What we know so farWhat we know so far
Neighbours had complained about the all-night establishment, leading city officials to pass an ordinance requiring the restaurant to shut at 10pm each night, according to city officials. Quetta is considered to be a haven for leaders from the exiled Afghan Taliban.
Mayor J Christian Bollwage said that in 2011 Mr Rahami's father had sued the city over the ordinance, claiming he had been ethnically discriminated against. According to US media reports, Mr Rahami married while in Pakistan.
"It was neighbour complaints, it had nothing to do with his ethnicity or religion," the mayor told the New York Times. New Jersey congressman Albio Sires said Mr Rahami had contacted his office in 2014 during a visit to Pakistan.
"It had to do with noise and people congregating on the streets." He said his constituent had requested help obtaining a visa to bring his spouse to the US since her Pakistani passport had expired.
The mayor said the city won the case in October 2012. Citing law enforcement officials, CNN reported that Mr Rahami's wife had left the US in the days before the attacks.
Another diner said one of Mr Rahami's brothers once fought with an officer who had come to shut down the restaurant. US officials are working with Pakistan and United Arab Emirates officials to contact her, according to the report.
The brother allegedly fled to his native Afghanistan before the case could be prosecuted, the diner added. According to US media, Mr Rahami was found with a notebook that contained ramblings about terrorists following his arrest.
Patrons said Mr Rahami appeared to have been taking over restaurant operations from his father. It reportedly referred to the Boston Marathon bombers and also mentioned Anwar al-Awlaki, the American imam killed by a US drone strike in Yemen in 2011.
He had attended Middlesex County College, where he majored in criminal justice, from 2010-12, but did not graduate according to school officials. Mr Rahami attended Middlesex County College in Edison, New Jersey, where he majored in criminal justice, from 2010-12, but he did not graduate according to school officials.
Flee Jones, 27, told the New York Times Mr Rahami's appearance and behaviour began to change after he visited his native Afghanistan about four years ago. Recently he appeared to have been taking on more responsibility from his father in the running of First American Fried Chicken.
After returning from his trip, he grew a beard, began wearing traditional Muslim robes and prayed in the back of the store. But neighbours' complaints about rowdy behaviour from patrons outside the all-night takeaway spot led city officials to pass an ordinance requiring the place to shut at 10pm each night.
He was not listed on counter-terrorism databases, US officials said. Elizabeth Mayor Christian Bollwage said Mr Rahami's father had sued the city in 2011 over the ordinance.
But Monday's shootout was not his first encounter with law enforcement. He said he had been ethnically discriminated against, but lost the case.
This is not Ahmad Khan Rahami's first encounter with law enforcement.
In 2014, he was arrested on weapons and aggravated assault charges after he allegedly stabbed someone in the leg in a domestic incident, court documents showed.In 2014, he was arrested on weapons and aggravated assault charges after he allegedly stabbed someone in the leg in a domestic incident, court documents showed.
A grand jury ultimately declined to indict him on the charges. Another patron of the fried chicken restaurant, Ryan McCann, said the bombing loved talking about his souped-up Honda Civic.
The FBI said Mr Rahami, a US citizen, was about 5ft 6in and weighing 200lb (90kg), with brown hair, brown eyes, and brown facial hair. "He's a very friendly guy, that's what's so scary," said Mr McCann.
He was reportedly identified with the help of a mobile phone left on one of the devices.
The bearded suspect was pictured being loaded on a gurney into an ambulance following a shootout with police in New Jersey.