NYC & NJ Bombing Suspect Is In Police Custody

On Saturday, Sept. 17, a bomb went off in midtown Manhattan that injured at least 29 people. Earlier that day, a bomb went off in Seaside Park, New Jersey near the start of a 5K charity run and exploded just minutes before the start of the race. The two bombings, as well as various other explosive devices that were found nearby, including at a New Jersey train station on Sunday are being investigated as connected. The suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami is now in police custody for questioning after a shootout in Linden, New Jersey NBC New York reports.

According to a senior law enforcement official, police recovered Rahami's fingerprint on one of the unexploded devices, which lead them to the 28-year-old as a suspect. The official told NBC New York, "He certainly seemed to do virtually nothing to cover his tracks." Rahami was allegedly spotted with a duffel bag in a surveillance video near the location of the Chelsea bombing and another location in Manhattan where a second device was recovered, but that had not been detonated. The New York Times described Rahami as "a naturalized citizen of Afghan descent" and he was living with his parents in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Reuters reported that two police officers had also been shot during the armed encounter in Linden on Monday morning.

The New York Times reported that, according to law enforcement, there was no evidence linking Rahami to any known terrorist organizations. They did, however, indicate:

...We have a lot to connect him to the Seaside Heights device, to the 27th Street device, to the 23rd Street device. And in all likelihood the Elizabeth train station device — which is a half-mile from his residence. So, the ideology, the connection to international terrorism, we might flesh that out as we go through the results of search warrants, looking for computers, discs, things like this. Search warrants that we did Sunday night at the residence in Elizabeth.

Police are investigating further whether the suspect, Rahami, acted alone or if there are other individuals involved in the bombing attempts. Chris Bollwage, the mayor of Elizabeth where Rahami's family is from, said, "Now hopefully a lot more questions will be answered," The Guardian reported. Rahami was taken to the hospital on Monday morning and will be questioned by police in their investigation.