Authorities Identify Ahmad Khan Rahami As A Suspect In The Manhattan Bombing

This weekend numerous terror-related events took place in the New York and New Jersey area. In Elizabeth, New Jersey, authorities are still piecing together clues about multiple improvised explosive devices (IEDs) — all stuffed into a backpack — that were found near a train station. This followed the discovery of a pipe-bomb at a Semper Fi 5K. Not too far away in Manhattan, police are digging further into the Chelsea neighborhood explosion that injured 29 people. The weapon of choice was an explosive device placed into a Dumpster, and a second device, a pressure-cooker bomb (similar to the devices used in the Boston Marathon bombings), was discovered about four blocks away from the explosion.

On Sunday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo described the Chelsea explosion as “terrorism,” although he stressed that there was no known connection to an international terror organization, and up to five people have been taken into custody for questioning in relation to the incident. However, the above BBC video reveals the FBI’s announcement of a suspect, Ahmad Khan Rahami, a 28-year-old U.S. citizen of Afghan descent weighing in at at 5-foot-6 and 200 pounds. He’s being seen as “potentially armed and dangerous.” And as CNN reveals, his last known address is in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where the backpack full of IEDs was discovered on Sunday night. The New Jersey State Police have released more photos of Rahami.

Authorities zeroed in on Rahami for questioning after determining that he may have appeared on a surveillance video near the Chelsea explosion site. Before the FBI released Rahami’s name and photo, Cuomo addressed the press again and stated that he “wouldn’t be surprised if it zeroes in on a particular individual, today even” and “wouldn’t be surprised if we found a foreign connection to the act.” He also revealed, “There might have been a common linkage” between the devices discovered in Elizabeth and the one used in the Chelsea dumpster bombing.

NBC’s Tom Winter reveals on Twitter that authorities have raided an apartment in Elizabeth, and they’re “concerned” about a possible active terror cell in the New York/New Jersey area.

(Via CNN and BBC)

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