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Ahmad Khan Rahami Charged in New York and New Jersey Bombings Ahmad Khan Rahami Charged in New York and New Jersey Bombings
(about 1 hour later)
The man who the police say planted bombs in New York and New Jersey over the weekend was charged in federal court on Tuesday with several crimes, including the use of weapons of mass destruction and bombing a place of public use, according to court documents. The man who the authorities say set off powerful bombs in Manhattan and on the Jersey Shore over the weekend planned the attacks for months, conducted a dry run just days before his assault and took inspiration from Osama bin Laden and other international terrorists, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court on Tuesday.
In a complaint filed in federal court in Lower Manhattan, prosecutors outlined what they say was a path of destruction by the man, Ahmad Khan Rahami. It began Saturday morning around 9:35, when, prosecutors allege, he planted an improvised explosive device — which included a pipe bomb and a triggering cellphone — in Seaside Park, N.J. The man, Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, was charged with several crimes, including use of weapons of mass destruction and bombing a place of public use, and the criminal complaint against him outlines how close the attacks came to causing death and even more destruction.
Later that day, according to the complaint, Mr. Rahami planted a bomb in Chelsea, referred to as the “23rd Street Bomb.” It caused significant injuries and “multiple-million dollars of property damage across a 650-foot crime scene.” According to the complaint, the bomb in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood on Saturday night was powerful enough to vault a Dumpster around 120 feet through the air. Windows shattered 400 feet from where the explosion went off, and pieces of the bomb were recovered 650 feet away.
Mr. Rahami is already charged with the attempted murder of a police officer, among other charges in relation to a gun battle when he was taken into custody on Monday morning. The complaint offers evidence that Mr. Rahami was motivated by an extremist Islamic ideology that he recorded in a notebook he had with him when he was shot and wounded by the police in Linden, N.J., early on Monday and then taken into custody.
The new details outlined in the charges came after it emerged on Tuesday that Mr. Rahami had been on the radar of federal agents two years ago, when his father told the police that he suspected his son might be involved in terrorism, prompting a review by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Pierced by a bullet and splattered with blood, the journal contains screeds against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The father, Mohammad Rahami, in a brief interview, said that at the time he told agents from the F.B.I. about his concern, his son had just had a fight with another of his sons and stabbed the man, leading to a criminal investigation. In one handwritten message, according to the complaint, Mr. Rahami pleads that he not be caught before carrying out his planned attacks.
“Two years ago I go to the F.B.I. because my son was doing really bad, O.K.?” he said. “But they check almost two months, they say, ‘He’s O.K., he’s clean, he’s not a terrorist.’ I say O.K.” “My heart I pray to the beautiful wise ALLAH,” he wrote. “To not take JIHAD away from. I beg.”
He added: “Now they say he is a terrorist. I say O.K.” Elsewhere in the notebook, the complaint says, he refers to pipe bombs and pressure cookers as well as to shooting police officers.
Federal agents did not interview Mr. Rahami, according to officials, and closed the investigation after several weeks. In one section, Mr. Rahami writes of “killing the kuffar,” or unbelievers. Mr. Rahami also praises other terrorists, including Anwar al-Awlaki, Al Qaeda’s leading propagandist, who died in a drone strike in Yemen, as well as the soldier in the Fort Hood shooting, among the deadliest of the so-called lone wolf attacks inspired by Al Qaeda.
“In August 2014, the F.B.I. initiated an assessment of Ahmad Rahami based upon comments made by his father after a domestic dispute that were subsequently reported to authorities,” the agency said in a statement. “The F.B.I. conducted internal database reviews, interagency checks, and multiple interviews, none of which revealed ties to terrorism.” The complaint also cites evidence of Mr. Rahami’s preparations for the attacks, with some of the equipment used bought on eBay. Two days before the bombing in Chelsea, according to the complaint, he recorded video of himself igniting an incendiary device in the backyard of his home in Elizabeth, N.J.
One day after Mr. Rahami was taken into custody and three days after bombs exploded in Chelsea in Manhattan and the Jersey Shore, investigators on Tuesday were learning more about what might have motivated the attack, but they still have many unanswered questions. The lighting of a fuse, the complaint says, is followed by “billowing smoke and laughter,” before Mr. Rahami is seen entering the frame and picking up the device.
When Mr. Rahami was captured during a shootout with the police on Monday, the authorities found a notebook, pierced with a bullet hole and covered in blood, expressing opinions sympathetic to jihadist causes, according to a law enforcement official who agreed to speak about the investigation only on the condition of anonymity. As detailed as it is, the complaint leaves unanswered questions about when Mr. Rahami began to feel deep antipathy for the country he had lived in for years and where he had become a naturalized citizen.
In one section of the book, Mr. Rahami wrote of “killing the kuffar,” or unbelievers, the official said. Mr. Rahami also praised Anwar al-Awlaki, Al Qaeda’s leading propagandist, who died in a drone strike in Yemen, as well as the soldier in the Fort Hood shooting, one of the deadliest “lone wolf” attacks inspired by Al Qaeda. Federal agents first became aware of Mr. Rahami two years ago, when his father shared with them his concerns that his son might be involved in terrorism.
Five years after his death in a drone strike in Yemen ordered by President Obama, Mr. Awlaki remains a powerful influence on would-be jihadists, especially in the English-speaking West. Among his documented admirers were Syed Rizwan Farook, who along with his wife killed 14 people in San Bernardino, Calif.; Omar Mateen, who fatally shot 49 people in an Orlando nightclub; and Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who staged an attack at the finish line of the Boston Marathon with pressure-cooker bombs in 2013. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which had been notified about Mr. Rahami by the local police after a domestic dispute involving the family, said in a statement that it checked its databases, contacted other agencies and conducted interviews. But the agency’s review did not turn up anything that warranted further inquiry, and the review was closed.
Thousands of Mr. Awlaki’s lectures and jihadist declarations are available on the web, as is Inspire magazine, which has published detailed instructions for making pipe bombs as well as more sophisticated explosive devices using pressure cookers and Christmas lights, the same components used in the New York-area bombs. In some of the most high-profile terrorism-related cases in recent years — in Orlando, Fla.; San Bernardino, Calif.; and Boston — federal authorities had looked into a suspect’s life long before they launched their assaults.
One key area of investigation is around the question of whether Mr. Rahami had help building the bombs or if anyone knew what he was doing and failed to report it. In all, he is linked to 10 explosive devices found in the region, including the two pressure-cooker bombs, one of which exploded in Chelsea on Saturday night, injuring 29 people. Each of the cases is different and in the case of Mr. Rahami, the F.B.I. has so far found no evidence of links to terrorist organizations.
The agency’s director, James B. Comey, has previously defended how those cases were handled but promised a review of what happened. It is not clear if the bureau is going to take a second look at the Rahami investigation.
Investigators are still working to determine if Mr. Rahami had any outside assistance, if anyone knew of his plot, if he was aided in constructing the bombs and why he chose the targets that he did.
One key area of the investigation involves whether Mr. Rahami had help building the bombs or if anyone knew what he was doing and failed to report it. In all, he is linked to 10 explosive devices found in the region.
Among those Mr. Rahami praises in his notebook, according the complaint, is Mr. Awlaki, who remains a powerful influence on would-be jihadists, especially in the English-speaking West. Among his documented admirers were Syed Rizwan Farook, who along with his wife killed 14 people in San Bernardino; Omar Mateen, who fatally shot 49 people in an Orlando nightclub; and Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who staged an attack at the finish line of the Boston Marathon with pressure-cooker bombs in 2013.
No terrorist organization has claimed responsibility for the attack. While the Islamic State is usually quick to claim credit for attacks around the world, organizations linked to Al Qaeda vary widely in when or if they claim credit.No terrorist organization has claimed responsibility for the attack. While the Islamic State is usually quick to claim credit for attacks around the world, organizations linked to Al Qaeda vary widely in when or if they claim credit.
The authorities are scrutinizing a number of trips Mr. Rahami made overseas, particularly several to Pakistan. In May 2011, he made a three-month trip to Quetta, according to law enforcement officials, citing Customs and Border Protection records. Then, in April 2013, he made another trip to Quetta and did not return until March 2014, according to information provided to federal customs authorities by the New York City police.The authorities are scrutinizing a number of trips Mr. Rahami made overseas, particularly several to Pakistan. In May 2011, he made a three-month trip to Quetta, according to law enforcement officials, citing Customs and Border Protection records. Then, in April 2013, he made another trip to Quetta and did not return until March 2014, according to information provided to federal customs authorities by the New York City police.
Notably, Mr. Rahami underwent an additional interview at the airport with Customs and Border Protection officers on his returns from both of those trips, but customs officers did not flag any concerns in his travel records. Mr. Rahami was born in Afghanistan but he became a naturalized United States citizen when he was still a minor. His wife, who left the country days before the bombing, is currently in the United Arab Emirates, where she provided a statement to the F.B.I., according to officials.
Two law enforcement officials said that Mr. Rahami’s wife, Asia Bibi Rahami, was traveling overseas when the bombing occurred. In a statement the United Arab Emirates said Ms. Rahami had been in transit through the country and was detained for questioning. The authorities are working to bring her back into the country as soon as possible.
A senior law enforcement official said on Tuesday that Ms. Rahami had made a statement to the F.B.I. and could be flown to the United States as soon as possible. The F.B.I. still believes that Mr. Rahami acted alone but is trying to speak with everyone who knew him. The F.B.I. still believes that Mr. Rahami acted alone but is trying to speak with everyone who knew him.
Just before Mr. Rahami returned from his last trip to Pakistan in March, he emailed Representative Albio Sires, a New Jersey Democrat, asking for help getting a visa for his wife to come to America, according to Mr. Sires. It was unclear when Mr. Rahami married his wife, Asia, but after returning from a nearly yearlong visit to Pakistan in March 2014, he was increasingly desperate to get her into the country.
He was still in Pakistan when he emailed Representative Albio Sires, Democrat of New Jersey, asking for help getting her a visa, according to the congressman.
Ms. Rahami’s Pakistani passport had expired, and agents at the United States Embassy in Islamabad discovered that she was 35 weeks pregnant, Mr. Sires said. Ms. Rahami was told that she would need to wait until her baby was born so she could apply for United States visas for both her and her child.Ms. Rahami’s Pakistani passport had expired, and agents at the United States Embassy in Islamabad discovered that she was 35 weeks pregnant, Mr. Sires said. Ms. Rahami was told that she would need to wait until her baby was born so she could apply for United States visas for both her and her child.
She eventually made it into the United States, though it was unclear when her visa issue was resolved. But in August 2014, Mr. Rahami got into a fight with his family, during which he stabbed his brother in the leg with a knife, according to court records. She eventually made it into the United States.
The police arrived to investigate, and it was at this time that Mr. Rahami’s father told them about his concerns about his son’s possible involvement in terrorism. The information was passed to the Joint Terrorism Task Force led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Newark. Officers opened what is known as an assessment, the most basic of F.B.I. investigations, and interviewed the father. It was unclear when her visa issue was resolved. But in August 2014, Mr. Rahami got into a fight with his family, during which he stabbed his brother in the leg with a knife, according to court records.
An official, when asked about the inquiry, said the father made the comment out of anger at his son and later recanted it. The police arrived to investigate, and it was at this time that Mr. Rahami’s father told them about his concerns about his son’s possible involvement in terrorism. The information was passed to the Joint Terrorism Task Force led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Newark. Officers opened what is known as an assessment, the most basic of F.B.I. investigations, and interviewed the father multiple times.
The assessment of Mr. Rahami is illustrative of the challenges the F.B.I. faces as it solicits information from the public about people who might pose a threat but then has to sort through what is credible and what it not. They never interviewed the son, who was in jail at the time, according to the official.
The agency has been criticized as not having done enough in previous terrorism attacks, such as the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing; bureau officials say they must balance the need to protect the country while not overstepping its authority. The father, Mohammad Rahami, in a brief interview, said that at the time he told agents from the F.B.I. about his concerns his son was going through a difficult period.
In the case of Mr. Rahami, the F.B.I. did not develop any further information that would have justified opening a more serious investigation, according to officials. “Two years ago I go to the F.B.I. because my son was doing really bad, O.K.?” he said. “But they check almost two months, they say, ‘He’s O.K., he’s clean, he’s not a terrorist.’ I say O.K.”
In Boston, one of the brothers, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was also the subject of an assessment in 2011. He added: “Now they say he is a terrorist. I say O.K.”
And in that case, the F.B.I. also did not generate any additional leads that would have prompted a more serious investigation. An official familiar with the inquiry said that the father, after making his initial comments about his son, recanted and said he spoke out of anger. He said his son was spending time with “bad” people, meaning criminals.
The assessment of Mr. Rahami is illustrative of the challenges the F.B.I. faces as it solicits information from the public about people who might pose a threat but then has to sort through what is credible and what is not, all while balancing the need to protect the country while not overstepping its authority.
Depending on the urgency, there are three different types of investigations they can undertake with varying levels of intrusive techniques.
The first is an assessment, where agents use basic techniques like conducting interviews and checking databases and public records.
The next level of inquiry is a preliminary investigation, which can be initiated on the basis of any information that is indicative of possible criminal or national-security threatening information, can include tools like recording calls and using confidential informants.
Both assessments and preliminary inquiries have time limits.
However a full investigation, which requires a more substantial factual prediction to launch, has no such time limits and employs powerful physical and electronic surveillance tools, often requiring the approval of a secret court warrant. Among other things, it allows for the interception of international communications.
Like Mr. Rahami, one of the Boston bombers, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was also the subject of an assessment in 2011.
And just was with Mr. Rahami, the F.B.I. did not generate any additional leads that would have prompted a more serious investigation.
The Tsarnaev assessment was one of approximately 1,000 the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Boston carried out that year.The Tsarnaev assessment was one of approximately 1,000 the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Boston carried out that year.
In the Orlando nightclub attack this year, the circumstances were different. Omar Mateen, who carried out the deadly assault, had made highly inflammatory comments, which came to the attention of investigators. He told colleagues he had family ties to Al Qaeda and was a member of Hezbollah. During the 10-month investigation, Mr. Mateen was interviewed twice and the F.B.I. used confidential informers and recorded his calls. But the bureau found no evidence that his statements were credible or that he had ties to terrorism. In the Orlando nightclub attack this year, the circumstances were different.
Mr. Rahami did face criminal charges of aggravated assault and illegal weapons possession stemming from the domestic dispute, according to court records. He spent over three months in jail, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation. A grand jury, however, declined to indict Mr. Rahami. Mr. Mateen, who carried out the deadly assault, had made highly inflammatory comments, which came to the attention of investigators, raising the profile of his case to a preliminary inquiry. He told colleagues that he had relatives in terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda. During the 10-month investigation, Mr. Mateen was interviewed twice, his calls were monitored and the F.B.I. used confidential informers.
Mr. Rahami remained in the hospital on Tuesday, recovering from surgery for gunshot wounds he sustained during the firefight with the police. Two officers were also injured in the gunfight. But still, the bureau found no evidence that his statements were credible or that he had ties to terrorism.
A Linden police officer, Angel Padilla, who was wearing a bulletproof vest when he was shot in the abdomen, was released from the hospital Monday night, according to Capt. James Sarnicki of the Linden department. While the federal assessment of Mr. Rahami was closed weeks after it began, he did face criminal charges of aggravated assault and illegal weapons possession stemming from the domestic dispute, according to court records. He spent over three months in jail, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation. A grand jury, however, declined to indict Mr. Rahami.
Peter Hammer, a traffic investigator who was sitting in his patrol car when a bullet came through his windshield and grazed his head, was released Tuesday morning from University Hospital in Newark, Captain Sarnicki said. Mr. Rahami remained in the hospital on Tuesday, recovering from surgery for gunshot wounds he sustained during the firefight with the police.
Peter Liguori, the deputy public defender in Union County, N.J., said that his office had not received a call or application for a lawyer in Mr. Rahami’s case.
“If he applies, we’ll help him,” Mr. Ligouri said. “We would represent him if he needs our services.”
Mr. Rahami had a daughter with a high school girlfriend, Maria Mena, and on Tuesday, she filed court papers seeking full custody of the child, citing his possible involvement in “terrorist-related activity in NYC.”