US citizen of Afghan origin arrested for New York blast

A 28-year-old naturalised American citizen of Afghan descent was arrested by US authorities on Monday, following a shootout hours after the New York mayor conceded that the blast that injured 29 people here could be an act of “terrorism” with foreign links.

Ahmad Khan Rahami, the man suspected in bombings in New York and New Jersey, is now in custody after a shootout with police, CNN reported.

The shootout happened in Linden, New Jersey, a local and federal law enforcement official said. Rahami was taken to an ambulance in a stretcher with his right shoulder bloodied and bandaged.

Two officers were hit in the shootout with Rahami in Linden, New Jersey, the mayor of the nearby city of Elizabeth said. One officer’s vest was struck, and the other was shot in the hand.

Rahami, wanted for questioning in connection with bombings in New York and Seaside Park, New Jersey, is also believed to be connected to the pipe bombs found in a backpack on Sunday night in Elizabeth, New Jersey, sources said. “Rahami is a US citizen of Afghan descent. His last known address was in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He is 5’6 tall, has brown hair, brown eyes and brown facial hair,” the FBI had said, adding he could be “armed and dangerous”. He will be questioned in connection with Sunday’s blast in Manhattan, New York, and injured 29 people, it said.