Ahmad Rahami was not on federal or NYPD terror watch lists before allegedly planting bombs in New York and New Jersey, but officials are confident he was not part of a terror cell.
What to Know
Ahmad Rahami, 28, was taken into custody Monday in connection to a series of bombings in New York City and New Jersey
Officials said they believe the suspect acted alone
Rahami has been linked to a bomb that went off in Chelsea, injuring 29, and one that went off ahead of a Marine 5K race in Seaside Park
Ahmad Rahami was not on federal or NYPD terror watch lists before allegedly planting bombs in New York and New Jersey, but officials said Monday they did not believe he was part of a terror cell.
Rahami, a naturalized 28-year-old native of Afghanistan who came to the country as an asylum seeker in 1995, was taken into custody after a gun battle with police in Linden, New Jersey, that left two officers shot. The suspect was also wounded. Officials believe he is connected to a blast in Chelsea in Manhattan that injured 29 people and at least one explosion in New Jersey.
New York bombing suspect Ahmad Rahami after being shot in a gun battle with Linden, NJ police, Sept. 19, 2016.
Bombing suspect Ahmad Rahmani is seen with scenes from bombings in Seaside Park, Chelsea and Elizabeth.
A bomb found in Elizabeth, NJ on Sept. 18, 2016 explodes while the bomb squad attempts to disarm it.
Authorities search the space above a fried chicken restaurant in Elizabeth, NJ on Sept. 19, 2016 after a bomb was discovered nearby.
Members of the FBI investigate the scene the morning after the explosion. Officials believe there is no connection to the explosion that happened in Seaside Park, New Jersey, on Saturday morning.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo released a statement and said that his administration is "monitoring the situation". He also urged New Yorkers to "as always, remain calm and vigilant".
AP
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, left, and Mayor Bill de Blasio walk towards the scene of an explosion on West 23rd street in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, in New York, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016, after an incident that injured passers-by Saturday evening.
AP
Firefighters arrive at the scene of an explosion in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, in New York, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016.
NBC 4 New York
A law enforcement source said the explosion appeared to have come from a large construction-site toolbox on 23rd.
Getty Images
People stand behind police lines as firefighters, emergency workers and police gather at the scene of an explosion in Manhattan on Sept. 17, 2016 in New York City.
Getty Images
Police, firefighters and emergency workers gather at the scene of an explosion in Manhattan on Sept. 17, 2016, in New York City.
AP
Mayor Bill de Blasio, center, and NYPD Chief of Department James O'Neill, left, react during a press conference near the scene of an explosion on West 23rd street in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, in New York, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016.
AP
In this Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, frame from video provided by Orangetheory Fitness Chelsea, a door shatters after an explosion in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York. Investigators scrambled Sunday to find out who planted a bomb that rocked Chelsea, scouring shrapnel, forensic traces and surveillance video.
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A photo from the scene showed the toolbox blown apart, with bits of debris scattered on the street.
AP
People try to access the area near the scene of an explosion on West 23rd Street and 6th Avenue in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, in New York, early Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016.
AP
Police officers look for suspicious packages along Fifth Avenue near the scene of an explosion on West 23rd Street and 6th Avenue in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood in New York, early Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016.
Law enforcement sources identify this pressure cooker, with wires and a phone attached, as the device found on 27th St. in Manhattan following an explosion on 23rd St. on Sept. 17, 2016.
Ted Greenberg, NBC 10
Pipe Bomb exploded in Seaside Park today in a trashcan.
File
Dakota DeFelice
Police at 23rd Street and First Avenue on Monday, just days after a bomb went off several blocks away.
"We have every reason to believe this was an act of terror," Mayor de Blasio told a Monday afternoon news conference, adding that authorities were not looking for any other suspects.
FBI officials said the investigation was ongoing and nothing was off the table, but as of now Rahami did not appear to be part of an organized group.
"I have no indication that there's a cell operating in the area," FBI Assistant Director William Sweeney said at the news conference.
Ahmad Rahami, the naturalized 28-year-old native of Afghanistan hunted in connection with a series of bombings in New York City and New Jersey over the weekend, was taken into custody after a gun battle with police that left two officers injured, four law enforcement sources and other officials said.
The chaos began to unfold Saturday morning, when a pipe bomb exploded in a trash can near a Marine race in Seaside Park, New Jersey. The race had been running late, and authorities have said they believed the device was timed to detonate when runners would be racing by the bin.
Hours later, an explosive device went off in or near a large construction bin on a busy block in Chelsea, leaving 29 people with minor injuries. Another device was found four blocks away and removed to a Bronx firing range for controlled detonation.
Then, late Sunday, five pipe bombs were found in a trash can near an NJ Transit station in Elizabeth, New Jersey. One of the bombs exploded as a robot tried to disarm it. No one was hurt. The pipe bombs were similar to the one that detonated in Seaside Park, but they have not been linked to Rahami.
Ahmad Rahami, the naturalized 28-year-old native of Afghanistan hunted in connection with a series of bombings in New York City and New Jersey over the weekend, was taken into custody after a gun battle with police that left two officers injured, four law enforcement sources and other officials said.
The news of the suspicious bag at the Elizabeth station in New Jersey was first reported late Sunday, around the same time that the FBI said it had taken five people into custody for questioning after a traffic stop on the Verrazano Bridge.
The agency said that the five individuals were from Elizabeth, New Jersey and were in a vehicle previously associated with Rahami. The FBI said Monday afternoon that none of the five were under arrest.
One of five explosive devices found in a bag near a train station in New Jersey exploded as a police robot investigated it early Monday morning. Katherine Creag reports.
