Ahmad Khan Rahami: New York bomb suspect's father warned police he was a terrorist in 2014
Notebook reveals Rahami was influenced by the ideas of Anwar al-Awlaki, al-Qaeda's best known propagandist
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The father of the New York bomb suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami warned that his son was risk two years ago.
On Tuesday morning, after his son had been arrested after a shootout a day earlier, Mohammad Rahami, told reporters gathered outside his home in Elizabeth, New Jersey: “Two years ago I go to the FBI because my son was doing really bad, O.K.?
“But they check almost two months, they say, ‘He’s OK, he’s clean, he’s not a terrorist.’ I say OK”
He added: “Now they say he is a terrorist. I say OK”
His account was confirmed by officials who spoke to The New York Times.
They said his father made the statement about his son being a terrorist to New Jersey police in 2014. It happened when Rahami was arrested after stabbing his brother.
The details were passed to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Newark, but the investigation ended when the father withdrew his statement.
Investigators concluded the allegations were made in a fit of anger, but the episode will raise fresh questions about why the young man was not under surveillance.
Rahami, 28, was arrested on Monday after a shootout with police officers in Linden, New Jersey, two days after 29 people were wounded when a bomb exploded in the Chelsea neighbourhood of Manhattan.
Detectives said DNA, fingerprints and CCTV footage all led them to name Rahami as a suspect in an emergency alert sent to millions of people in New York on Monday.
It also emerged on Tuesday that officers found a notebook, pierced with a bullet hole and doused in blood, setting out Rahamis radical views.
The notes praised Anwar al-Awlaki, al-Qaeda's best known propagandist, and the soldier who carried out the Fort Hood shooting, who killed 13 people in 2009.
In one section of the book, Rahami described of “killing the kuffar,” or unbelievers, according to an official who spoke to The New York Times.
They also suspect he was linked to an explosion in a rubbish bin on the New Jersey shore on Saturday.
Investigators are probing Rahami's recent trips to Afghanistan and Quetta in Pakistan.
Officials say he underwent secondary screening on his return to the US each time but passed on every occasion.
On Tuesday it emerged that his wife, who was from Pakistan left the country just a few days before the bombings.
William Sweeney, the FBI's assistant director in New York, said that the FBI was aware of reports about a domestic incident involving Rahami some years ago, but the allegations had been recanted, and "there's nothing to indicate that currently he was on our radar."
Meanwhile, two New Jersey officers wounded in the shootout have been discharged from hospital.
Linden police say Officer Angel Padilla went home on Monday night, several hours after he was shot in the torso. Authorities have said a bulletproof vest saved him from a more serious injury.
Another Linden officer, Pete Hammer, was released a day late. Authorities said his head was grazed by a bullet.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments