Police now have a suspect they are pursuing the New York/New Jersey bombings. His name is Ahmad Khan Rahami and he was seen on surveillance footage in the bombing locations.
Wanted: Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28 year old male, is being sought in connection with the Chelsea bombing. 1-800-577-TIPS pic.twitter.com/WLm9XSDUpj
— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) September 19, 2016
Police also were able to get information from the cellphones used in two of the blasts, as they weren’t completely destroyed.
At least one of the bombs is now being called a ‘pressure cooker bomb’.
The people stopped on the Verrazano bridge in the SUV were members of Rahami’s family and their home in New Jersey is being searched by police.
Here’s the latest:
NBC NEWS – Law enforcement officials are searching for a 28-year-old man suspected of playing a role in the series of blasts that have terrorized New York and New Jersey in the last two days.
Multiple senior law enforcement officials and an NYPD spokesperson early Monday identified Ahmad Rahami of Elizabeth, New Jersey, as the suspect. The FBI said he should be considered armed and dangerous.
A senior law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation told NBC News authorities believe Rahami is the man seen in surveillance footage taken Saturday night in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, the site of an explosion that injured 29 people.
The source said there is other physical evidence linking Rahimi to the devices that have gone off or been found in New York and New Jersey.
The announcement came hours after a backpack that appeared to contain pipe bombs exploded as a police robot examined it near a New Jersey train station. That explosion occurred shortly before 1 a.m. ET Monday. It was the second in New Jersey since Saturday morning.
Several law enforcement officials told NBC News that they are concerned that an active terrorism cell with multiple players could be at work in the New York-New Jersey area.
Here’s the FBI’s wanted poster (click to enlarge):
“The FBI is asking for assistance in locating Ahmad Khan Rahami. Rahami is wanted for questioning in connection with an explosion that occurred on September 17, 2016, at approximately 8:30 p.m. in the vicinity of 135 West 23rd Street, New York, New York.
Rahami is a 28-year-old United States citizen of Afghan descent born on January 23, 1988, in Afghanistan. His last known address was in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He is about 5’ 6” tall and weighs approximately 200 pounds. Rahami has brown hair, brown eyes, and brown facial hair.”