What We Know So Far:
- Suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami has been with using weapons of mass destruction, bombing a place of public use, destruction of property by means of fire/explosive, and use of a destructive device. He also faces five counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.
- The FBI confirmed investigators looked into Rahami in 2014 after comments were made by his father. Officials found no ties to terrorism.
- Rahami, 28, was taken into custody Sept. 19 after a shootout with police in Linden, New Jersey. Here's everything we know about him so far.
- Rahami is the chief suspect in connection with the bombings in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood and the New Jersey town of Seaside.
- Rahami's wife, a Pakistani citizen, had been in the United States but left a few days before the attack.
Updates
Bomb suspect makes first in-person court appearance
Bombing suspect Ahmad Khan Rahimi made his first in-person court appearance on Tuesday to plead not guilty to charges that he tried to kill police officers before his capture.
Rahimi, who was shot during a running gun battle with police, shuffled slowly into the Elizabeth, New Jersey, courtroom and had to be helped into his chair, the Associated Press reported. He faces five counts of attempted murder of a police officer and other charges for allegedly setting off pipe and pressure-cooker bombs in New York and New Jersey in September, injuring more than 30 people.
The manhunt ended Sept. 19 when Rahimi was found asleep in the doorway of a bar in the town of Linden. One officer who was shot in the ensuing gun battle was saved by his bulletproof vest, and another was grazed by a bullet.
Rahimi was treated for gunshot wounds, and in October, appeared via video link from his hospital bed to enter not guilty pleas. He did not speak during the brief court hearing on Tuesday.
—Jason Wells
Bomb suspect Ahmad Khan Rahimi pleads not guilty from hospital bed
The suspect accused of setting off bomb in New York and New Jersey in September pleaded not guilty Thursday to trying to kill police officers during a shootout.
Ahmad Khan Rahimi, who suffered gunshot wounds in the shootout, appeared via video from his hospital bed in New Jersey. Authorities have not provided details on his medical condition, citing medical privacy laws.
He already faces multiple weapons-related charges.
—Jason Wells
Two men who took bag containing unexploded bomb identified as Egyptian tourists
Authorities have identified the two men who walked off with a bag left behind by the New Jersey-New York bomber after removing a device from inside.
The Associated Press and New York Times reported Wednesday that the two men were identified as Egyptian tourists who have since returned home.
The two men are believed to be about 35 and 42 years old. US investigators have notified Egyptian authorities they want to question the men, but are not in danger of being arrested because they don't believe they were connected to the plot.
Authorities said surveillance footage shows the two men come across the luggage, removing the bomb, and walking away with the bad.
The video was taken on 27th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in Manhattan, and within the same hour a bomb exploded four blocks south on 23rd Street, injuring 29 people.
—Adolfo Flores
Bloody notebook suggests Rahami was inspired by al-Qaeda and ISIS
The bloodied and bullet-pierced notebook found on Ahmad Khan Rahami after his arrest for allegedly detonating homemade bombs in New York City and New Jersey suggests he was inspired by terror groups al-Qaeda and ISIS.
An image of the handwritten notebook was shown Wednesday during a Homeland Security hearing in Washington, DC.
"This is a copy of Mr. Rahami's journal that was found on his person when he was taken into custody," Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul said as a page of the notebook was displayed.
In the journal, the 28-year-old Afghan-born man praised al-Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden, the radical American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, and the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas.
"He talked about pressure cooker bombs and pipe bombs in the streets as they planned to run a mile," McCaul said, referencing the explosion that took place Saturday at a Marine Corps charity race in Seaside Park, New Jersey.
According to McCaul, Rahami stated in the journal "his guidance" came from Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, the chief spokesperson and propagandist for the terror group ISIS, who was killed in a US drone strike in Syria in August.
"Death to the oppression," Rahami wrote. "God willing the sound of bombs will be heard in the streets."
—Jon Passantino
US Attorney: "American way of life was attacked."
US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara said Wednesday that the evidence against the bombing suspect Ahmad Rahami shows "that this was a premeditated act of terrorism" and that he will be prosecuted in Manhattan first.
Bharara went on to list that evidence, which included12 fingerprints on the "undetonated bomb" on 27th Street in Chelsea, surveillance video of Rahami near the detonated 23rd Street bomb 27-minutes before the explosion and video of Rahami walking with a suitcase at 27th Street, and license plate readers that showed his vehicle, which was linked to his home address, entering Manhattan through the Lincoln Tunnel two hours before the explosion and leaving Manhattan two hours after.
Bharara also said during the press conference Wednesday that a "handwritten journal was found on Rahami at the time of his arrest" which mentioned, jihad, pipe bombs, a pressure cooker bomb and the sounds of bombs heard in the street. The journal, according to Bharara, also contained "laudatory" references to al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden and Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen whose speeches have been credited with inspiring domestic terrorists even years after his death by a US drone strike in Yemen.
"This weekend, as you all appreciate, the American way of life was attacked and everyday routines were shaken by explosions in Chelsea and Seaside Park," Bharara opened the press conference by saying.
"The response to these misguided acts of terror has been classically American, and what we have come to expect in our city from New Yorkers: care for the victims, calm in the midst of chaos, and swift law enforcement action. Now, thanks to that response, Rahami will face federal terrorism charges in a court of law."
—Talal Ansari
FBI looking for two individuals who took suitcase containing unexploded bomb
The FBI on Wednesday asked the public for help locating two individuals who inadvertently found an unexploded pressure cooker bomb Saturday night that was allegedly planted by Ahmad Rahami.
Surveillance footage obtained by the FBI shows the two men "located a piece of luggage on the sidewalk, removed an improvised explosive device from the luggage, and then left the vicinity leaving the device behind but taking the luggage," the FBI said in a statement.
The video was taken on 27th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in Manhattan, and was taken within the same hour a bomb exploded four blocks south, on 23rd Street, injuring 29 people.
"The FBI is interested in speaking to these individuals and recovering the luggage," the agency said.
A widely circulated photo of the improvised explosive device revealed it was a pressure cooker bomb with exposed wires.
— Talal Ansari
FBI seeks public's help in locating two men related to NY/NJ investigation https://t.co/tOaCR7Ujay
Federal prosecutors charge Ahmad Rahami with using weapons of mass destruction, other crimes
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday filed charges against bombing suspect Ahmad Rahami, including use of weapons of mass destruction and bombing a public place.
The complaint against Rahami, filed in the Southern District of New York, includes four charges: Use of weapons of mass destruction, bombing a place of public use, destruction of property by means of fire or explosive, and use of a destructive device during and in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Prosecutors also charged Rahami in New Jersey Tuesday with six counts related to using weapons of mass destruction and bombs. Several of Rahami's charges in both states carry potential life sentences.
The complaints also provide details about how Rahami allegedly bought, built, and tried to detonate the bombs. At the site of an explosion at Seaside Park in New Jersey, for example, investigators found an explosive device made of three pipe bombs. They also found a cell phone in the area that they believe was used as a timer for the bomb.
At the scene of the explosion in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood, investigators found ball bearings and steel nuts they believe were packed into a pressure cooker bomb to make it more deadly scattered over the blast site that spanned 650 square feet.
According to the New York complaint, the explosion in Chelsea shattered windows 400 feet away and three stories up. It moved a dumpster more than 120 feet. And one victim had to have "ball bearings removed from her body, as well as metal fragmentation from her ear and wood from her neck."
The complaint mentions two victims who were inside cars but nevertheless injured when the bomb went off. As was the case with the New Jersey explosion, investigators believe Rahami used a cellphone as a timer for the Chelsea bomb.
Prosecutors believe Rahami bought bomb components, including chemicals and devices he could use as detonators, on Ebay. The complaint describes purchases going back to June 20 and continuing through August.
The complaint also states that investigators searched social media accounts believed to belong to Rahami and found that he had liked videos related to jihad.
In addition, authorities recovered what they describe as Rahami's handwritten journal. In it, Rahami allegedly praises al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki and Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan.
According to the complaint, his journal concludes: "Inshallah [God willing] the sounds of the bombs will be heard in the streets. Gun shots to your police. Death To Your OPPRESSION."
— Jim Dalrymple II
Source: Rahami not cooperating with investigators.
Bombing suspect Ahmad Rahami is not cooperating with investigators, a US intelligence official told BuzzFeed News.
It remains unclear what law enforcement agency has taken the lead on interrogating Rahami.
The FBI did not respond to questions asking whether federal interrogators had yet gained access to the suspect.
— Ali Watkins
FBI confirms they looked into Ahmad Rahami in 2014.
The FBI on Tuesday confirmed its investigators looked into bombing suspect Ahmad Rahami in 2014 to make an "assessment" of him after comments made by his father.
"In August 2014, the FBI initiated an assessment of Ahmad Rahami based upon comments made by his father after a domestic dispute that were subsequently reported to authorities," the FBI said in a statement sent to BuzzFeed News.
"The FBI conducted internal database reviews, interagency checks, and multiple interviews, none of which revealed ties to terrorism."
His father, Mohammad Rahami, told the New York Times earlier on Tuesday he called authorities because his son was "doing really bad."
"Two years ago I go to the FBI because my son was doing really bad, OK?" Mohammad Rahami said. "But they check almost two months, they say, 'He's OK, he's clean, he's not a terrorist.' I say OK."
—David Mack
Rahami's father contacted the FBI about his son two years before the bombings
Mohammad Rahami, the father of bombing suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami, told the FBI in 2014 that he suspected his son was involved in terrorism, according to multiple reports.
On Tuesday, while speaking with reporters outside the family's restaurant in Elizabeth, N.J., Mohammad Rahami said, "I called the FBI two years ago," the New York Times reported.
"Two years ago I go to the FBI because my son was doing really bad, OK?" Mohammad Rahami said. "But they check almost two months, they say, 'He's OK, he's clean, he's not a terrorist.' I say OK."
"Now they say he is a terrorist," Rahami said. "I say OK."
The Associated Press reported that Mohammad Rahami contacted the FBI in 2014 and told them that he believed his son was a terrorist, but later retracted the statement, according to an official.
ABC News reported that in the summer of 2014 a "concerned citizen" also called police in New Jersey to report that Mohammad Rahami had said that his son may be in contact with individuals overseas who were collecting explosives.
Based on this report, a "Suspicious Activity Report" was compiled on Rahami and sent to the FBI.
Federal agents then interviewed Mohammad Rahami, who told the FBI that his son had traveled to Pakistan and was interacting with "bad people," ABC News reported.
Note found on Rahami referenced Boston Marathon bombing, radical cleric
A notebook found on suspected New York City and New Jersey bomber Ahmad Khan Rahami contained references to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and American-born radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, according to multiple reports published Tuesday.
The handwritten notes also referenced the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that left 13 people dead and 30 others injured, and was described to NBC News as "a hodge podge, a rambling, disconnected, choppy series of references to past events."
Al-Awlaki, who was killed in a US drone strike in 2011 in Yemen, was a spokesman for Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and editor of the terrorist group's online magazine Inspire.
In one section of Rahami's notes, which were covered in blood and pierced by a bullet hole, the 28-year-old wrote of "killing the kuffar," or unbeliever, the New York Times reported.
NBC originally said the note was found on an unexploded pressure cooker bomb left Saturday night on 27th Street in Manhattan, four blocks from where another exploded, but CNN and the Washington Post said the note was found on Rahami after his arrest Monday in Linden, New Jersey.
—Jon Passantino
He is set to appear in court on Sept. 28.
Wife of Ahmad Khan Rahami left the United States days before bombings.
The wife of New York and New Jersey bombings suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami left the United States a few days before the attacks, a law enforcement official told CNN Tuesday.
The official said authorities were working with officials in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates to find her and question her about what she knew of her husband's actions.
On Monday, a New Jersey lawmaker said Rahami had contacted his office when he was in Pakistan in 2014 to ask for help in securing a visa for his pregnant wife.
Rep. Albio Sires said Rahami emailed his office in 2014 after his wife's Pakistani passport expired, the Associated Press reported.
Sires said he contacted the FBI about Rahami's request, and the follow up letter his office sent to the US embassy in Pakistan, after he was named as a suspect.
New Jersey bar owner recounts finding bombing suspect sleeping outside his door
Bar owner who spotted Bombings suspect speaks out: It "shocked me" https://t.co/YZ32bCBsdM https://t.co/iab7YwkXys
In an interview with CNN Monday, Harinder Bains described showing up to his Linden, New Jersey, bar and finding bombing suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami outside.
Bains said it was raining when he saw that he thought was just a drunk man sleeping outside his bar with a hoodie pulled around his face.
Around 9 a.m., Rahami was leaning against the door of the bar, which had a cracked piece of glass, so Bains suggested that he move.
"I said, 'Hey buddy, you're going to get hurt, this door is cracked,'" Bains recalled.
Rahami moved, but as he did Bains got a glimpse of his face and "was shocked" when he recognized the same person he had seen earlier on CNN's website. Later, Bains told a friend about the man who resembled the bombing suspect.
The friend suggested contacting law enforcement, so Bains called the Linden Police Department.
A shootout ensued later Monday morning when Lindon police arrived at the scene. Bains said he saw two officers arrive, then watched as Rahami fired two shots at them. Rahami then ran, "firing in the air," Bains said.
"The whole thing took maybe 30 seconds or less than 30 seconds," Bains said.
Rahami and two officers were wounded in the shootout, but no one was killed. Rahami remains in custody after being hospitalized for his injuries.
Bains was praised in the aftermath for recognizing the man and alerting authorities, but told CNN instead that he simply believes "when you see something you should say something."
"I'm not a hero," Bains added. "I'm just a citizen doing what every citizen should do."
—Jim Dalrymple II
New Jersey lawmaker says bombing suspect asked his office for visa help
A New Jersey lawmaker said bombing suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami asked his office from Pakistan for help in securing a visa for his pregnant wife.
Rep. Albio Sires said Rahami, a US citizen who was born in Afghanistan, emailed his office in 2014 after his wife's Pakistani passport expired, the Associated Press reported.
Rahami, who remains in custody after alleging planting bombs in New York and New Jersey and getting in a shootout with police, was charged with attempted murder and other weapons related crimes on Monday.
Sires said he contacted the FBI about Rahami's request, and the follow up letter his office sent to the US embassy in Pakistan, after he was named as a suspect.
It was unclear if Rahami wife ever came to the US.
—Jason Wells
Bombing suspect Rahami charged with multiple offenses
Ahmad Khan Rahami was charged Monday with five counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, a New Jersey prosecutor announced.
Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced the charges over the shootout that occurred on Monday morning prior to Rahami's capture by police.
Rahami is also facing two second-degree charges over his alleged possession of a handgun.
"At approximately 10:30 a.m. on Monday morning, a uniformed Linden police officer approached a man later identified as Rahami outside a bar on East Elizabeth Avenue, according to the investigation," the prosecutor's office said in a statement. "At that time, Rahami immediately produced a handgun and shot the officer in the torso, striking him in his protective vest."
"Additional patrol officers responding to the scene engaged Rahami in an exchange of gunfire that ended when Rahami was shot multiple times outside of an auto repair shop on East Elizabeth Avenue, several blocks west of where he was initially approached," the prosecutor's office said.
Bail for Rahami was set at $5.2 million by state Superior Court Judge Regina Caulfield.
Each attempted murder charge carries potential prison term of 10 to 20 years, while Rahami could also face jail terms of 5-10 years for each weapons charges.
—David Mack
Rahami was angry at Western culture, mother of his child says
Ahmad Khan Rahami has at least one child with a woman he met at Edison High School, named only by Fox News as Maria.
The 26-year-old woman told Fox Rahami did not pay child support and was angry at Western culture.
"He would speak often of Western culture and how it was different back home," she said. "How there weren't homosexuals in Afghanistan.
"He seemed standoffish to American culture, but I never thought he would cross the line.
"One time, he was watching TV with my daughter and a woman in a [military] uniform came on and he told [their daughter], 'That's the bad person,'" she said.
Here's everything we know so far about Rahami.
—David Mack
Chairman of Senate Intel Richard Burr says it's too early to determine international link
Burr told BuzzFeed News Monday that it was too early to have any concrete information on whether Rahami's trips to Afghanistan and Pakistan were connected to his acts, or to know whether he was in touch with international organizations.
"Remember that we're less than 48 hours into a multitude of five attacks," Burr told BuzzFeed News. "And in less than 48 hours we have somebody in custody. But 48 hours is not enough to take the media or the weapons and do the forensics on them we need to do to make that determination."
He added that authorities also do not yet know if there was more than one person involved in the attacks, in the US or abroad.
"We won't know until we've worked with the media we've got," he said.
— Emma Loop
Donald Trump on Monday renewed his calls for curbing immigration from countries where "safe and adequate screening cannot occur," citing recent bombings in New York and New Jersey as proof that the government wasn't doing enough to keep Americans safe.
In his speech at Fort Myers, Florida, Trump said Hillary Clinton would allow more refugees in, putting the United States at greater risk of even more homegrown terror attacks.
"We should temporarily suspend immigration entering from regions where safe and adequate screening cannot occur," Trump said. "We want people to come into our country but they have to come legally, through a process, and we need extreme screening."
Read more here.
—Adolfo Flores
At UN conference, Obama calls Rahami's capture "outstanding"
While attending the United Nations Summit for Refugees and Migrants on Monday, President Obama took a moment to comment on Rahami's capture and commend New York and New Jersey's law enforcement.
"This is yet another example of ... extraordinary coordination" of law enforcement, Obama said, calling the swiftness with which the capture occurred "outstanding."
The White House said Obama had spoken with the two Linden police officers injured during Rahami's apprehension, as well as the off-duty officer who fatally shot the stabbing attacker at a Minnesota mall on Saturday night.
"I told him the American people were appreciative of his work and heroism," Obama said. "He also saved a lot of lives."
Obama also warned of the "big danger" of the continued radicalization of US citizens by ISIS.
Pres Obama also cites "big danger" of ISIS trying to radicalize supporters and promote extremism against the US.
"Information is still unfolding about what may have motivated the suspect," Obama continued, adding that he would leave it to law enforcement to continue to update the public.
— Ema O'Connor
For the first time, the NYPD used cell phone alerts to hunt for the bombing suspect.
As the NYPD hunted for Ahmad Khan Rahami, the suspect behind the Chelsea bombings, they tried a new tactic: sending out a Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA), a tool typically used to send citizens Amber Alerts and severe weather warnings.
Before police arrested 28-year-old Rahami, they sent out a wireless alert to all cell phones in New York County reading, "WANTED: Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28-yr-old male. See media for pic. Call 9-1-1 if seen," and initiated both an audible and vibrating alarm on New Yorkers' phones.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the use of the WEA "a first" for a manhunt.
Read more here. —Blake Montgomery
Friends say Rahami "transformed" after going to Afghanistan
Friends of Ahmad Rahami, including Flee Jones, one of the rappers who posted the song "Chicken Joint" on YouTube about Rahami's chicken restaurant in New Jersey, told the New York Times Monday that in recent years, their friend had changed drastically.
About four years ago Rahami went back to Afghanistan, where he was born, for a visit, Jones said When he returned he began wearing traditional Muslim clothes, grew a beard, began praying during work, and became "serious and completely closed off," Jones said. "It's like he was a completely different person."
CNN reported that, according to an unnamed official, Rahami made multiple visits to Pakistan, one of which was a year long and resulted in his marriage to a Pakistani woman. It is unclear whether it was these trips that Jones was referring to, or if Rahami visited Afghanistan as well as Pakistan.
- Ema O'Connor
Trump campaign describes bombings as "a wakeup call for every American."
Trump campaign senior communications advisor Jason Miller released the following statement:
Last weekend's attacks, which are just the latest to be carried out on U.S. soil on President Obama's watch, should be a wakeup call for every American. It is highly disturbing and entirely unacceptable that 858 immigrants from dangerous countries have slipped into our country and been granted full U.S. citizenship because of the failed policies supported by President Obama and Hillary Clinton. Even worse, Clinton must explain her reckless support for a 550% increase in Syrian refugees and her push for an all-out open border policy, which will put even more Americans at risk. The threat from radical Islamic terrorism has only grown under Obama and Clinton, and ISIS has greatly expanded the number of countries where it is fully operational. Our enemies neither fear nor respect Hillary Clinton, and as a nation, that is dangerous, and it is disgraceful. Mr. Trump will bring an end to these attacks, because unlike Obama and Clinton, he believes we're in more than a fight about 'narratives' – these terrorists pose an existential threat to our country and our values and they must be destroyed before they can harm any more of our citizens.
— David Mack
Afghanistan's ambassador to the US condemns attacks
My statement on developments in NY and NJ.
The suspect, now in custody, is a US citizen of Afghan descent.
Local musicians performed a rap about the Rahamis' fried chicken restaurant
View this video on YouTube
Jean Adam, Jr., who goes by the name "Orlando," rapped about the fries and burgers he enjoyed at First American Fried Chicken — the restaurant owned by the Rahamis, the New York Times reported.
Flee Jones, who wrote the rap with Adam Jr., told the Times that the Rahamis allowed him and his friends to host rap battles in the back of their restaurant.
"It was nothing but good vibes," Jones said. — Tasneem Nashrulla
Here's our best look yet at what we know about suspected bomber Ahmad Khan Ramadi
Ahmad Khan Rahami, the 28-year-old suspect in the Manhattan and Seaside Park bombings this weekend, lived with his family above their chicken restaurant in New Jersey that was a flashpoint for neighbors and who had a "domestic incident" in his background that was later recanted.
Rahami — a US citizen who was born on January 23 1988 in Afghanistan — was arrested Monday after an alleged shootout with police in Linden, New Jersey that left two officers injured. He was spotted sleeping in the doorway of a bar when someone noticed him hours after officials sent out a regional alert to cell phone users with his description.
Here's everything we know about him so far. —Mike Hayes
New video of Ahmad Khan Rahami being taken away on a stretcher after shootout with police officers.
Video captured the shootout between police and suspect.
Video filmed by Michael J. Markowycz and obtained by BuzzFeed News shows the shootout in Linden, New Jersey, as authorities detained suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami.
Markowycz was at the intersection of Elizabeth Ave. and Bower St. on his way to work when he filmed multiple police cars converging on the scene. In the video, numerous gunshots can be heard.
Rahami was ultimately detained and transported in an ambulance to a hospital for treatment for his injuries.
Two officers also received non-life threatening injuries in the shootout, police said.
—David Mack
Mayor de Blasio: "We have every reason to believe this was an act of terror."
At a press conference Monday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the weekend bombings in the city's Chelsea neighborhood and Seaside, New Jersey, were an "act of terror."
The mayor urged New Yorkers to remain vigilant and said that there will be "strong and visible" police presence in the city for the rest of the week.
Officials said there was "no indication" of a terror cell operating in New York City or New Jersey.
Authorities said that a traffic stop was conducted on the Verrazano Bridge in Brooklyn on Sunday night. Passengers were questioned by police, but no one in the vehicle was arrested.
"There's nothing to indicate that [Rahami] was on our radar," FBI Assistant Director William Sweeney said. Rahami was linked to a report of a "domestic incident" but the allegations were recanted, Sweeney said.
"The investigation now focuses on motive and if there were others who helped the bomber," NYPD commissioner James P. O'Neill said.
"There's no other individual we're looking for at this point," de Blasio said.
— Tasneem Nashrulla
After bombings, NY governor says "this is the world we now live in."
Following the arrest of the main suspect in the weekend's bombings in New York and New Jersey, investigators will now turn their attention to probing whether any co-conspirators were involved, New York's governor said.
Speaking in an interview with CNN, Gov. Andrew Cuomo praised the work of police in Linden, New Jersey, for detaining suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami.
Police officers wounded in the shootout with the suspect received non-life threatening injuries, Cuomo said.
"I think the investigation really begins after the apprehension," he said. "Was it just Rahami? Was he acting alone?"
"So who were his co-conspirators? Was there a cell? Was he a lone wolf?"
The governor said he expects members of the community to provide police with as much information on Rahami as possible.
"What New Yorkers, what people in New Jersey, what Americans have to realize is, this is the world we now live in," Cuomo added. "This is a post-9/11 world."
"There's terrorism almost on a weekly basis. It's all around the globe. It's all around the country. It's small cities, big cities.
"I think New York may be more of a target, but, you know, it's been San Bernardino, California, it's Minnesota. It's everywhere.
"So to a certain extent I think we have to accept it, be vigilant, be protected."
—David Mack
Mayor de Blasio swore in James P. O’Neill as the 43rd police commissioner of New York City.
Congratulations Commissioner O'Neill! Proud to serve with you. #NYPD #NYC
While police apprehended Rahami in New Jersey, the NYPD held a swearing in ceremony for their new police commissioner, O'Neill, who was legally sworn in on Friday.
"Jimmy when you woke up Saturday morning you did not know what will confront you," Mayor de Blasio said at the ceremony. "No one said this job will be easy."
— Maryann Georgantopoulos
Obama says bombings in NY/NJ not connected to Minnesota mall stabbing.
Federal authorities do not believe the bombings in New York and New Jersey over the weekend are connected with Saturday evening's mass-stabbing attack at a Minnesota mall, President Obama told reporters on Monday.
The FBI said Sunday they were investigating a potential act of terrorism after nine people were injured when a man wearing a security guard's uniform stabbed people at the mall in St. Cloud on Saturday night. The assailant was shot dead by an off-duty police officer. ISIS has said the attacker was a supporter of the militant group.
"At this point, we see no connection between that incident [in Minnesota] and what happened here in New York and New Jersey," Obama said at a press conference in New York City, where he traveled for this week's UN General Assembly. "Our attention there is on the people who were injured."
Obama pledged the FBI would investigate the case "aggressively."
The president says he was "extremely grateful" no one was killed in any of the weekend's attacks, praising law enforcement for their response. "They are the best of the best," he said.
"I am extraordinarily happy with the cooperation that has been taking place between the FBI and state and local law enforcement officials," the president said. "They are moving smartly on this investigation."
— David Mack
NYC, NJ bombings suspect arrested after shootout with officers
Ahmad Khan Rahami, the 28-year-old suspect in the weekend bombings in New York City and Seaside, New Jersey, has been taken into custody after a shootout with police officers.
Christian Bollwage, the mayor of Elizabeth, NJ, told reporters Rahami was arrested Monday morning after being wounded by gunfire in an altercation with officers. Bollwage said two police officers were shot — one in the hand, and one in a bulletproof vest. All were expected to survive.
Television footage showed Rahami with a bloody shoulder being loaded into an ambulance after the shooting.
Police said Rahami was found around 10:30 a.m. after the owner of a bar found a man sleeping in a hallway. Officers responded to the call and found the suspect. Rahami allegedly pulled out a handgun and fired at the officer, who was wearing a bulletproof vest.
"The suspect pulled out a gun and fired at the officer and striking him in the abdomen," Linden Police Capt. James Sarnicki told WCBS. "The gentleman got up and started walking down the street in a westerly direction. I'm told that he was randomly discharging his handgun and one of the officers was able to get close enough to him and return fire."
Three officers were hospitalized; one struck by bullet fragments, another shot in the abdomen in his bulletproof vest, and a third suffering from high blood pressure.
The New York Police Department later confirmed Rahami's arrest in a tweet.
Update: Ahmad Khan Rahami - captured in Linden, NJ. We will continue to monitor the developments
— Jon Passantino
Reports: A recovered cellphone on an undetonated bomb was key to tracking suspect.
Authorities narrowed in on Ahmad Khan Rahami as a suspect through investigating a cellphone connected to an undetonated pressure cooker bomb, according to reports.
The bomb was found on West 27th Street by police officers on Saturday night while conducting a search for additional explosive devices after the 23rd Street explosion.
A photograph shared on Twitter, confirmed as authentic by police to the New York Times, shows a piece of cookware connected to wires and a cellphone.
BREAKING PHOTO! Here is the second device found by a NYSP Sgt. At 27 street and 7 Ave. investigation is ongoing
According to DNA Info, police sources said the device was originally inside of an abandoned suitcase when two "well-dressed" young male thieves removed it from the luggage and placed it in a trash can, inadvertently disabling it.
"That allowed investigators to examine the cellphone attached to the bomb intact and discover that it was connected to the family of Rahami," DNA Info reported.
NBC News reported a fingerprint on the cellphone on "one of the unexploded devices" helped authorities identify Rahami as a suspect. However, Chris Bollwage, mayor of Elizabeth, New Jersey, told reporters on Monday he had not "heard anything about fingerprints."
Mayor Bollwage did tell reporters that a traffic stop conducted by police on the Verrazano-Narrows bridge, in which five people were taken into custody, did lead authorities to Rahami's home in Elizabeth.
—David Mack
Obama to deliver statement on NYC, NJ bombings
View this video on YouTube
President Obama will make a statement on the weekend explosions in New York City and Seaside, New Jersey, at 11:30 a.m. ET, the White House announced.
Obama will speak from the Lotte New York Palace Hotel, in New York. The president is in the city this week for the annual United Nations General Assembly.
Hillary Clinton says Donald Trump's rhetoric is being used by ISIS to recruit fighters.
As authorities hunt for a man wanted for bombings in New York and New Jersey, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton said her opponent Donald Trump's rhetoric on terrorism is being used by ISIS to recruit fighters.
"We know that a lot of the rhetoric we've heard from Donald Trump has been seized on by terrorists, in particular ISIS, because they are looking to make this into a war against Islam," Clinton said at a press conference Monday in White Plains, New York.
Clinton also hit Trump for not having a plan to defeat ISIS: "You don't hear a plan from him. He keeps saying he has a secret plan. Well, the secret is he has no plan."
She also emphasized the need to combat ISIS recruitment efforts online and said Americans will prevail in the face of attacks.
"This threat is real but so is our resolve. Americans will not cower, we will prevail. We will defend our country and defeat the evil twisted ideology of the terrorists," Clinton said. "I'm the only candidate in this race who has been part of the hard decisions to take terrorists off the battlefield, and I've laid out a comprehensive plan to meet the evolving nature of this threat and take the fight to ISIS everywhere they threaten us, including online."
—Kyle Blaine
NYC, NJ bombing suspect was not on US terror watch lists
Ahmad Khan Rahami, the 28-year-old suspect wanted in connection with the weekend explosions in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood and Seaside, New Jersey, was not on US terror watch lists, reports say.
Federal and local law enforcement are searching for Rahami, a New Jersey resident of Afghan descent, in connection with the bombings. Rahami is believed to be operating a 2003 Blue Honda Civic bearing NJ registration D63EYB.
According to Reuters and The Daily Beast, US government officials said Rahami was not on federal counterterrorism watch lists.
An FBI bulletin said he "should be considered armed and dangerous."
Trump says police know who terrorists are, but don't do anything out of fear of profiling.
After a weekend of suspected terror attacks in New York and New Jersey, Republican nominee Donald Trump suggested again on Monday that law enforcement in the United States should consider religious and ethnic profiling as a tactic to prevent future attacks.
"Our local police, they know a lot of who these people are. They are afraid to do anything about it because they don't want to be accused of profiling, they don't want to be accused of all sorts of things," Trump said on Fox & Friends.
Read his full comments here. —Kyle Blaine
Suspect's family ran a fried chicken restaurant that had been in conflict with police, neighbors
FBI can be seen bringing boxes into Elmora Ave place #elisabethnj https://t.co/7qs9Vr9rrd
Ahmad Khan Rahami works at his father Muhammad's fried chicken restaurant on the ground level of the family's Elmora St. home in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the New York Times reported.
Neighbors told the Times that the restaurant drew rowdy crowds, would stay open all night, and patrons would urinate in a neighbor's driveway.
Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage said that the city forced the restaurant to close nightly at 10 pm. According to one neighbor, when police tried to force the restaurant to close, one of Rahami's brothers fought with an officer.
"The City Council voted to shut it down at 10," Mr. Bollwage told the Times. "They kept getting complaints from neighbors; it was a distress to people in the neighborhood."
A call placed to First American Fried Chicken on Monday morning went straight to voicemail.
— Mike Hayes
New York Mayor Bill De Blasio says city is in "very high state of vigilance."
WATCH: "It's premature to say what might happen next." - NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio https://t.co/gNxYUDD7Km
Speaking on Good Morning America early Monday, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio said people should expect to see more police on the streets of the city in coming days.
"You are going to see a lot of NYPD presence at key sites around the city including our anti-terror capacity, which will be out and evident. So I am confident about what the NYPD has out on the streets of New York City today," De Blasio said.
"I think in the coming hours we are going to be able to say a lot more about what happened here specifically," the mayor said. "We know a lot more than we did just 24 hours ago. It's certainly leaning more in the direction that this was a specific act of terror and I think we are going to have a lot more to share with the people."
Security had already been tight in New York City this week, with world leaders converging arriving for the United Nations General Assembly meeting.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday that 1,000 extra officers and National Guard members would patrol the city's subway stations, bus terminals, and airports.
—Alicia Melville-Smith
Police say man wanted in connection with Chelsea bombing also wanted over Seaside Park explosion.
New Jersey State Police have released more photos of wanted man Ahmad Khan Rahami.
His image was first released by the FBI earlier this morning. In the photos he is pictured with several different hair styles and facial hair.
The police also confirmed he was wanted in connection with the Seaside Park explosion in New Jersey, as well as the Manhattan explosion.
They warned he should be considered armed and dangerous. He is believed to be operating a 2003 Blue Honda Civic bearing NJ registration D63EYB.
US Intelligence Official: Possibility New Jersey And New York Incidents Are Connected
A US intelligence official told BuzzFeed News that "the troubling thing right now is that one can probably conclude that if there are multiple devices, there were probably multiple people constructing those devices."
It's unlikely, the official said, that a single individual managed to build explosives without attracted attention. If there more than one person, "you likely have a cell."
"Somebody sits in their garage and do this without people actually knowing? The likelihood is that there were others that probably knew something," the official said.
Asked if the incidents in Ocean County and Elizabeth New Jersey and New York City were connected, the official said, "Multiple locations, coordinated attack...there's enough similarities that one would have to look at all of these as the possibility of being connected."
Asked if the FBI, had been watching for a terror cell in New York, the official said it was "a constant concern of the Bureau," adding, "nobody should be shocked that there was an incident, and nobody should be shocked that it happened in New York."
The official added that it "really doesn't matter whether its inspired or directed" by ISIS or al Qaeda. "We're way past that. The intent and capability are there regardless."
The use of a pressure cooker, the official said, was an al Qaeda mainstay. "All of them seem to mirror al-Qaeda instruction," the official said, though they stressed it was far too early to conclusively state which extremist group may or may not have motivated the bombings.
—Ali Watkins
Emergency alert sent to cell phones in New York City.
Well that's a new emergency alert experience
An emergency alert detailing the hunt for wanted man Ahmad Khan Rahami was sent out to cell phones in New York today.
The alert read: "WANTED: Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28-yr-old male. See media for pic. Call 9-1-1 if seen."
Mayor Bill De Blasio's press secretary Eric Phillips tweeted it was the first time an alert of that kind had been sent.
—Alicia Melville-Smith
NYPD release image of man wanted over Chelsea bombing.
NYPD have released an image of a man named as Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, who they say is being sought in connection with Saturday's bombing in Chelsea.
Rahami is a United States citizen of Afghan descent and was born on January 23, 1988, in Afghanistan.
His last known address was in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He is about 5ft 6ins tall and weighs approximately 200 pounds. Rahami has brown hair, brown eyes, and brown facial hair.
Wanted: Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28 year old male, is being sought in connection with the Chelsea bombing. #nyc
Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage told local news channels that police had raided a home in connection with the Chelsea bombing.
He said a man and his two sons lived in the house on Elmora Avenue.
On Monday, law enforcement were called after five suspicious devices were found near a train station in Elizabeth, which is where Rahami's last know address was.
One of the devices exploded at the station in New Jersey, as a police robot attempted to disarm it. The area was cleared by authorities by 7.30 a.m. with no further issues.
The FBI took several people into custody Sunday night in possible connection to the bombing in New York, according to New York Sen. Marty Golden.
The Chelsea explosion occurred Saturday night on 23rd Street and injured 29 people.
Officials also found and removed another suspicious device four blocks away.