Cops reveal New York terror suspect’s prints were found on unexploded bomb as he is charged with attempted murder

THE suspected bomber accused of waging a terror campaign across two US states was in custody last night after a shoot-out with cops.

A nationwide manhunt for “armed and dangerous” Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, was launched after his fingerprints were found on an unexploded bomb in New York.

The Afghan-born American citizen was spotted sleeping rough in the doorway of a bar in Linden, New Jersey, three miles from a train station where five more bombs were found in the early hours of yesterday morning. When challenged by two cops he pulled out a gun and started firing.

Both officers were hit. One was saved by a bulletproof vest after being struck in the abdomen. The other suffered a hand wound. A third officer was cut on the head by glass.

Rahami was arrested after being shot twice by police. Pictures reveal him handcuffed with his shirt rolled up to show that he was not wearing an explosives vest.

After undergoing surgery for gunshot wounds to his right arm and leg, Rahami was last night charged with five counts of attempted murder.

Witnesses say cops took away a black duffel bag, similar to those thought to have been used to plant two bombs in New York on Saturday.

Tosha Hardrick, 32, said: “I heard four gunshots. All hell just broke loose. I later saw an officer handling a black bag very carefully.”

Investigators said they had “no indication” that Rahami was part of a larger terror cell.

Last night it emerged he was radicalised during a trip to Afghanistan.

Pal Flee Jones, 27, said: “Two years ago he popped up and he was religious. And it was shocking.”

The stocky college drop-out, who studied criminal justice for two years, is thought to have planted at least ten devices in just three days.

FBI agents stormed the Rahami family’s apartment in Elizabeth, New Jersey, above their First American Fried Chicken takeaway.

Neighbours said the secretive clan had starting wearing Islamic clothing.

One said: “Up until recently they wore regular clothes, then they started dressing in their culture’s clothes.”

The FBI named Rahami after examining an unexploded bomb found in New York on Saturday night.

What we know so far:

• A pipe bomb exploded at a New Jersey fun run on Saturday morning - there were no injuries.
• A huge explosion caused by a pressure cooker device ripped through the Chelsea neighbourhood of Manhattan, New York at 8:30 pm on Saturday injuring 29 people.
• A second pressure cooker device was later found four blocks away on West 27^th Street and was removed by police. A note found with the device reportedly contained Arabic writing.
• Both Manhattan pressure cooker devices, filled with shrapnel, were similar to those used in Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. The Chelsea bomb exploded near one of the city's biggest gay communities.
• While authorities have yet to link the incidents, the devices in New York and at the New Jersey fun run used mobile phones as triggers.
• An unnamed law enforcement official told Fox News that the devices were from the “same person.”
• Five "heavily armed" suspects, reportedly related to suspect Rahami, were detained by the FBI at around 9:30pm local time on Sunday after their vehicle was stopped in Brooklyn heading towards JFK Airport.
• A device exploded near a New Jersey train station at 12:30am local time on  Monday morning as a bomb squad robot worked to defuse it. The bomb was one of five found in a bin.
• A SWAT team has swooped on a chicken restaurant in Elizabeth, NJ, on Monday which is owned by Rahami's family.
• Authorities admit "active terror cell" could be operating within New York and New Jersey area.
• The FBI releases a wanted poster featuring 28-year-old suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami.
• Rahami charged with five offences, including attempted murder, after being arrested in dramatic scenes, with New York's mayor saying the bombings were clearly "an act of terror".
  

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Another bomb, also linked to Rahami, had earlier exploded at 8.31pm local time injuring 29 people in Manhattan’s Chelsea district.

Both devices were pressure cookers, filled with shrapnel and ball-bearings.

They both also used a flip-phone as a detonator and Christmas lights as an initiator. A man believed to be Rahami was spotted on CCTV hauling a black duffel bag along West 23rd Street in Manhattan 40 minutes before the blast and leaving a holdall on West 27th Street ten minutes later.

Cops also established a link to a charity run bombing in Seaside Park, New Jersey, at 9.30am on Saturday.

Three pipe bombs wired together were found in a bin along the route. Only one exploded but no-one was hurt as the race was delayed.

On Sunday night cops are said to have found weapons and bomb-making gear in a car in Brooklyn. Five men seized, believed to be from the same family, were later released.

Just hours later two men stumbled across five pipe bombs in a backpack on a bin at a station in Elizabeth.

One exploded after a bomb disposal robot accidentally cut the wrong wire. No-one was injured.

Rahami, his father Muhammed, 53, and two brothers unsuccessfully sued the city in 2011 for religious persecution after officials said their takeaway had to close early due to complaints.
Cops also released pics of Rahami with shaved head, stubble and beard.

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