THE man suspected in the weekend bombings in New York and New Jersey is in custody after a dramatic shootout with police.
Ahmad Khan Rahami was apprehended in Linden, New Jersey, after firing at police officers, according to multiple US media sources. He has since been charged with attempted murder.
He is alive but injured, and two officers were injured in the gunfire, Christian Bollwage, Mayor of Elizabeth, New Jersey confirmed. TV footage showed Rahami on a stretcher being loaded into an ambulance. He was sporting a bloodied bandage on his right arm.
The mayor confirmed one officer’s vest was struck, and the other was shot in the hand.
“Mr Rahami is currently under arrest. This occurred on Elizabeth Avenue in the city of Linden,” Mr Bollwage said Monday afternoon.
“One police officer in the city of Linden was shot in the chest and one was shot in the hand. Mr Rahami also sustained shots,” the mayor added.
The 28-year-old Afghan-born American was wanted in connection with twin bomb attacks in New York and New Jersey over the weekend.
Rahami, a naturalised United States citizen of Afghan birth, was identified with the help of a mobile phone left behind with an unexploded pressure cooker found near to the New York bomb blast, according to officials.
He is believed to be the same man seen rolling a duffel bag in black and white surveillance video taken at the site of Saturday night’s bombing in the Chelsea neighbourhood of Manhattan which injured 29 people.
Police also believe Rahami was behind a pipe bomb that exploded in a trash can on the route of a Marine Corps run in New Jersey.
Authorities released a photo of Rahami on Monday. His name was added to key terror watch lists to prevent him from trying to leave the country, CNN reports.
An emergency alert was sent to all New York smartphones on Monday morning, notifying users of the manhunt for Rahami.
US authorities said Rahami was not on their radar before he was linked to bombings. It is not known if he acted alone.
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