Afghan-origin man held for NY bombing

US authorities on Monday apprehended Ahmad Khan Rahami, an American citizen of Afghan origin, after a shootout that followed a manhunt for him in connection with the serial bombings in New York and New Jersey .

Rahami was reported injured in the shootout in Linden, New Jersey , as were two police officers, after authorities traced him down sleeping in the rough after a tip-off. His arrest came after the police issued a cellphone alert to millions of residents in the area telling them to be on the lookout for Rahami, 28. Rahami was identified by officials on surveillance video planting the bombs in Chelsea. His fingerprint was also found on one of the pressure cooker bombs in Manhattan, according to a senior law enforcement official.

Earlier, the FBI released a poster of Rahami, saying he is “wanted for questioning“ in connection to the bombing.

The poster said he should be considered armed and dangerous. In the hours before Rahami was apprehended, five people were detained from a car heading to JFK airport, and some reports said they were Rahami's family and associates. The development appeared to reverse the initial assessment of authorities that there was no international angle to the bombing, bringing it to the familiar Af-Pak theatre that is the crucible of so many terrorist attacks around the world. The FBI poster said Rahami was born in Afghanistan and his last known address was Elizabeth, New Jersey . “I would not be surprised if we did have a foreign connection to the act,“ Maryland governor Andrew Cuomo said on CNN.

The manhunt for Rahami began after more pipe bombs were found in New Jersey in addition to the ones in the Chelsea neighbourhood in Manhattan and the one that exploded at the marine corps race in New Jersey . Authorities reportedly got a lead to Rahami through a cellphone timer left with one of the pressure cooker bombs.

On Monday , authorities were examining Rahami and his family's connection to the region to see what could have triggered a young man who was reportedly fond of fast cars to turn to extremism. The Rahami family owns a restaurant called `First American Fried Chicken' in New Jersey .

Rahami was born on January 23, 1988, in Afghanistan.He was described as a naturalised citizen. Associates said that several years ago Rahami travelled to his homeland and when he returned, he showed signs of radicalisation.

(TOI)