2016 New York and New Jersey bombings

Seaside Park bombing In the morning of September 17, 2016, in Ocean County, New Jersey, the Seaside Semper Five, a 5K run event, was expected to draw as many as 3,000 people, with many of them being veterans of the United States Armed Forces. The race was delayed after a suspicious backpack was noticed in the vicinity of the starting point. At about 9:30 a.m., shortly before the race was supposed to start, a pipe bomb exploded in a trash can on Ocean Avenue in Seaside Park. The race was canceled after the explosion, Manhattan bombing In the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, on the same day as the Seaside Park bombing, a pressure cooker bomb filled with shrapnel, in the form of small bearings or metal BBs, The explosion occurred in front of 133 West 23rd Street in the vicinity of a construction site, at which materials were in place for exterior renovations of the Visions at Selis Manor facility, an apartment building for the blind, at 135 West 23rd Street. Other nearby buildings included the Townhouse Inn of Chelsea, Witnesses said that the explosion "seemed to have started inside a sidewalk dumpster" in the vicinity of Sixth Avenue, and photographs of a "twisted dumpster" in the middle of West 23rd Street went viral on Twitter. The explosion caused damage to a nearby five-story brownstone, The moment of the blast was captured on closed-circuit television footage from three cameras. Thirty-one people were injured, Most injuries were scrapes and bruises caused by flying debris and glass. Discovery of second device Following the explosion, officers began a block-by-block search for additional unexploded bombs. Several hours later, police received a call from a resident of West 27th Street who had seen a suspicious-looking package near her home. The device was under a mailbox at West 27th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, four blocks away from the site of the original blast. Two state troopers arrived and discovered the pressure cooker bomb concealed in a plastic bag and connected with dark wiring to a mobile phone. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) reported its find of a "possible secondary device" at 11:00 p.m. The bomb was driven to the NYPD's Rodman's Neck firing range in the Bronx, where it was destroyed One of the men, Lee Parker, was homeless and was looking for a backpack so he could go to a job search. His friend Ivan White had found the backpack above the garbage can. They were about from a busy pub's front entrance White and Parker looked into the backpack, discovered that the item contained wires and a pipe, and called 9-1-1 at around 8:45 p.m. The Elizabeth Police Department was the first authority to respond to the men's 9-1-1 call. Following the bomb's accidental explosion, the station was evacuated. The surrounding area was put on lockdown, and service was suspended between the Newark Airport and Elizabeth stations for the day. New Jersey-bound trains from New York were held at Penn Station. Elizabeth Mayor J. Christian Bollwage said that it was unclear whether the train station was a specific target, or whether the bombs were dumped by someone looking to quickly get rid of them. The Elizabeth device was "similar in appearance" to the Seaside Park device. Police later theorized that the bomber, Ahmad Khan Rahimi, had thrown away the bombs in Elizabeth in an effort to hide the evidence because these bombs lacked detonators. ==Investigation==

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), Homeland Security, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) responded to the scene of the Chelsea bombing and were involved in the investigation, in addition to the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and the NYPD. Initially, the Seaside Park and Manhattan bombings were investigated as separate incidents, but over a period of two days, the investigation yielded similarities between the two incidents, leading the investigators to determine that they were connected, and therefore that it was to be investigated as one overall composite terrorist act or endeavor, committed by the same person or party. Within hours after the attack, officials determined that the explosion was intentional, and ruled out the possibility of a natural gas explosion. Investigators did not immediately find evidence of a terrorism link, A link to terrorism was discovered in the following days. The FBI examined fingerprints from the undetonated West 27th Street pressure cooker bomb and its attached mobile phone. Investigators also said they believed the bomb-maker had cased the Chelsea neighborhood before the bombing there, and that he may have had an accomplice as he would have had to otherwise cover a lot of ground between the bombing sites in a relatively short amount of time. They were talking to witnesses who claimed to have seen Rahimi in the Chelsea area before the explosion. Several bomb ingredients were purchased by Rahimi on eBay between June 20 and August 10. Search for suspects Investigators discovered surveillance video that showed a suspect, later identified as Rahimi, planting a bomb on West 23rd Street in Manhattan then walking to West 27th Street dragging a duffel bag. The subject left the bag at West 27th Street. Later, two individuals took the pressure cooker bomb out of the bag and left the scene. U.S. investigators notified Egyptian authorities that they wanted to question the men. An explosives expert, speaking anonymously, said the materials used in the bomb indicated that the bomb-builder had some knowledge of how to assemble the explosive device. == Perpetrator==

Background Ahmad Khan Rahimi (; born January 23, 1988), an Afghan American and was naturalized in 2011. From 2010 to 2012, he attended Middlesex County College in Edison, New Jersey, majoring in criminal justice with alleged aspirations of a future in law enforcement. He dropped out. Rahimi's friends described him as a generous person who was never devoutly religious and would invite his friends to eat and conduct rap battles at his family's fried chicken restaurant—First American Fried Chicken in Elizabeth, from New York City. To some, he was known as Mad, short for Ahmad. A classmate from Edison High described him as quiet, mild-mannered, well-dressed, and "not abrasive, [but] funny" whenever he spoke. Also, in elementary school, Ahmad's teacher complained to Mohammad that his son was "act[ing] like a king in class". Ahmad broke a friend's nose while in junior high. While at Edison High, he started a relationship with a classmate from the Dominican Republic, which culminated in them having a daughter together in 2007, during Rahimi's senior year. According to people close to the Rahimis, this upset Mohammad Rahimi, who refused to meet his granddaughter or the mother, and had been disapproving of the relationship due to expectations that his son would marry a cousin in Afghanistan. In March 2008, after returning from his first trip in Pakistan, he moved in with his girlfriend's family and got a job at a Kmart store. Rahimi's girlfriend later ended the relationship and sued him for child support. This reportedly depressed Rahimi, who subsequently returned to his family, and damaged his relationship with his father. The Rahimi family had a history of disputes with the City of Elizabeth over their restaurant's operating hours, claiming that the city was discriminating against them because of their ethnicity and because they were Muslim. They filed a lawsuit against the city in 2011, in which they alleged harassment and religious discrimination by police and officials who would force them to close early. Mayor J. Christian Bollwage said the longstanding issues were caused by a series of complaints from neighbors, who reported noise and large crowds gathering at the restaurant late at night. The city later barred all takeout restaurants, including the Rahimis', from operating past 10:00 p.m. In 2009, two of Rahimi's brothers were arrested for attempting to record a conversation with police, according to court papers. Rahimi lived above the restaurant with his family. Legal troubles At one time, Rahimi was licensed to carry firearms. In August 2014, he, at that time living in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, was charged with aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a weapon in Union County. The charges arose from allegations that Rahimi had stabbed his brother in the leg, after the victim and another brother attempted to stop Rahimi from assaulting their mother and sister "for no apparent reason". Rahimi was reported by two of his siblings the next day and spent three months in the Union County Jail, but was reported to have bailed. A grand jury declined to make an indictment, and the charges were dropped on September 22. A "high-ranking law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation" said Rahimi had spent two additional days in jail, one in February 2012 for allegedly violating a restraining order, and another in October 2008 for failure to pay traffic tickets. Overseas travels and return to U.S. Rahimi, reportedly, went back to Afghanistan several times (including for an extended period starting in 2012), and "showed signs of radicalization" afterwards. According to a family friend, Rahimi claimed that his father took away his passport while he was sleeping and left him alone in a foreign country. as well as Kandahar, Afghanistan. At Quetta, which is home to a large population of Afghan immigrants and some Taliban members-in-exile, he was in an arranged marriage with a Pakistani woman, However, it was "not known whether he had any links to an overseas terror organization, or whether he had been inspired by such organizations and their propaganda efforts, as others have been." planning to return September 21. On September 19, following her husband's arrest, she was stopped by the United Arab Emirates authorities. Two days later, she returned to New York and was questioned by the investigators. The wife was cooperative and not accused of wrongdoing. Events of September 18–19 Manhunt After stopping the five men on the Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge, FBI agents and Elizabeth police searched Rahimi's home in the early morning of September 18. The alert message read, "WANTED: Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28-yr-old male. See media for pic. Call 9-1-1 if seen." Authorities said that Rahimi might be armed and dangerous. Linden Police Department (Linden PD) Officer Angel Padilla arrived and awoke the man, soon confirming that the man was the wanted Rahimi, and calmly (so as not to alert Rahimi) called for additional units to be dispatched to the location. Officer Padilla ordered Rahimi to show his hands. Rahimi disregarded the order, and an artery, and sustained a shoulder wound. He underwent numerous surgeries The severity of Rahimi's injuries made his ultimate survival uncertain. Officer Angel Padilla was released from the hospital that night, and Officer Peter Hammer, shot while in his car, was released the next day. Following Rahimi's arrest, investigators said there was "no indication" he was part of a broader terror cell, On the same day, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey in Newark charged him with use of a weapon of mass destruction (counts one and two), bombings of a place of public use and public transportation system (count three), and attempted destruction of property by means of fire or explosive (count four). On September 26, Rahimi's father and wife retained the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to defend him on the federal charges. The ACLU represented Rahimi until he was given a federal public defender. An assistant federal public defender represented Rahimi at trial. On November 10, after Rahimi had been moved into federal custody in Manhattan, he made an initial appearance in the Manhattan federal court to face terrorism charges. Rahimi's lawyer said in court that Rahimi had eight to ten surgeries and had liver damage. Federal authorities argued that Rahimi was well enough to be in regular custody. On November 16, Rahimi was indicted by a federal grand jury in Manhattan on eight criminal counts including use of a weapon of mass destruction; attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction; bombing a place of public use; destruction of property by means of fire or explosion; attempted destruction of property by means of fire or explosion; interstate transportation and receipt of explosives; use of a destructive device during, and in furtherance of, a crime of violence (two counts). A day later, Rahimi pleaded not guilty on all of the charges before U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman. In April 2017, the defense team filed a motion for a change of venue, requesting that the trial be held in Burlington, Vermont. They argued that the extensive pre-trial publicity in New York would prevent their client from getting a fair trial in Manhattan. The court denied this motion the following month. While awaiting trial for his federal charges, Rahimi was accused by authorities at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan of distributing Islamic extremist propaganda and attempting to radicalize inmates alongside fellow pre-trial inmate and would-be terrorist, Sajmir Alimehmeti. Rahimi had passed on propaganda materials containing lectures and speeches of prominent extremists such as Osama bin Laden and Anwar al-Awlaki, to Alimehmeti, who would then distribute the materials to other MCC inmates. Additionally, explosive-making instructions were passed on to some inmates. Alimehmeti was convicted of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State in December 2019 and was sentenced to 22 years in prison. Alimehmeti was transferred to ADX Florence shortly afterward. On October 16, 2017, after a two-week jury trial, Rahimi was found guilty of all eight charges in federal court in New York. The mandatory sentence is life without parole. Rahimi was removed from the courtroom during opening statements after making repeated outbursts. During the trial, the government introduced into evidence Rahimi's fingerprints and DNA on unexploded bombs and bomb debris; videotape of Rahimi pulling the luggage containing the bombs; and testimony from detectives, computer analysts, and others. A juror interviewed following the verdict called the evidence of guilt overwhelming. On February 13, 2018, Rahimi was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Rahimi was transferred to United States Penitentiary, McCreary in Kentucky after his sentencing. In 2022, Rahimi was transferred to ADX Florence in Colorado. State prosecution On the night of September 19, Rahimi was charged in New Jersey Superior Court with five counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer in relation to the shootout in Linden. He was also charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, both in relation to the handgun found in his possession. On October 13, after a delay caused by his ongoing recovery from gunshot wounds, Rahimi appeared, by teleconference, in New Jersey State Court to plead not guilty to the charges against him. On October 18, Rahimi was moved from the hospital to the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton. On November 10, ahead of hearings in his case, Rahimi was moved from the medical unit at Trenton State Prison to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. On October 8, 2019 jury found Rahimi guilty of all charges. On January 24, 2020, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. ==Response==

Governor Cuomo released a statement following the Manhattan bombing, saying, "We are closely monitoring the situation and urge New Yorkers to, as always, remain calm and vigilant." The Yelp listing for the chicken restaurant owned by Rahimi's family was review bombed in retaliation for the attempted bombings. ==See also==