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Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, who was arrested for explosions in New York and New Jersey. NYPD

Father of bombing suspect reported him to FBI in 2014

Ahmad Khan Rahami’s father later retracted his statement, saying he meant his son was hanging out with gangs and acting like a thug.

Updated 7pm

THE FATHER OF the man suspected in the weekend bombings in New York and New Jersey called the FBI in 2014 to say his son was a terrorist, but later retracted it, saying he meant the young man was hanging out with gangs and acting like a thug, a law enforcement official said today.

The father contacted the FBI after Ahmad Khan Rahami was charged with stabbing his brother, according to the official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The official said that the FBI looked into the matter, but that the father, Mohammad Rahami, rescinded his comment and said he meant his son was hanging out with the wrong crowd.

The FBI reviewed its databases and found no credible connection to terrorism or threat to the US from the son, the official said.

Charged

The information emerged as Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, was being held on $5.2 million (€4.7 million) bail, charged with five counts of attempted murder of police officers in the shootout that led to his capture yesterday.

Federal prosecutors said they were weighing charges over the bombings that wounded 29 people.

Rahami, a US citizen born in Afghanistan, remained hospitalised after surgery for a gunshot wound to his leg. He was captured in Linden, New Jersey, after he was discovered sleeping in the doorway of a bar.

His father told reporters today outside the family’s fried-chicken restaurant in Elizabeth, New Jersey, that he called the FBI two years ago. Asked whether he thought his son was a terrorist, the father said: “No. And the FBI, they know that.”

‘A danger’

Ahmad Khan Rahami was arrested in 2014 on charges of stabbing a person in the leg and possession of a firearm. A grand jury declined to indict him, despite a warning from the arresting officer that Rahami was probably “a danger to himself or others.”

William Sweeney, the FBI’s assistant director in New York, said today that the FBI had gotten a report of a domestic incident involving Rahami some time ago, but the allegations had been recanted, and “there’s nothing to indicate that currently he was on our radar.”

The bombing investigation began when a pipe bomb blew up Saturday morning in Seaside Park, New Jersey, before a charity race to benefit Marines. No one was injured.

Then a shrapnel-packed pressure-cooker bomb exploded Saturday night in New York’s Chelsea section, wounding 29 people, none seriously. An unexploded pressure-cooker bomb was found blocks away.

Late Sunday night, five explosive devices were discovered in a trash can at an Elizabeth train station. Investigators have not publicly tied Rahami to those devices.

Fingerprints

Rahami provided investigators with a wealth of clues that led to his arrest just 50 hours after the first explosion, according to three law enforcement officials.

His fingerprints and DNA were found at the scene of the Manhattan bombing, they said. His face was clearly captured by surveillance cameras near the spot of the blast.

Electronic toll records show a car to which he had access was driven from New Jersey to Manhattan and back to New Jersey the day of the bombing, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the case.

Those and other clues spurred officials to release his name and photo yesterday morning.

“A lot of technology involved in this, but a lot of good, old-fashioned police work, too,” New York Police Commissioner James O’Neill said Monday.

Officials said they have no other suspects at large but cautioned they are still investigating.

Rahami wasn’t on any terror or no-fly watch lists, though he had been interviewed for immigration purposes while traveling between the U.S. and Afghanistan, one of the law enforcement officials said.

Rahami and his family live above their restaurant, First American Fried Chicken, and the family has clashed with the city over closing times and noise complaints, which the Rahamis said in a lawsuit were motivated by dislike of Muslims.

A childhood friend, Flee Jones, said Rahami had become more religious after returning from a trip to Afghanistan several years ago. Still, some of the restaurant’s customers said Rahami was more likely to talk about his interest in cars.

Read: Donald Trump Junior just compared Syrian refugees to a bowl of Skittles

Read: Dealz planning violations: Dublin council refuses to issue enforcement notice

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60 Comments
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    Mute seanie
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    Sep 20th 2016, 8:36 AM

    I’m starting to see a pattern here , all these men have beards,

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    Mute David Thomas
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    Sep 20th 2016, 9:43 AM

    He used to be a hipster

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    Mute Derek Durkin
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    Sep 20th 2016, 7:34 PM

    All have had prior contact with the FBI too.

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    Mute Marlowemallow
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    Sep 20th 2016, 8:26 AM

    Favourite book on his Facebook page was the Quran. The mosque social worker seems unconcerned about this widespread misunderstanding of that book. Perhaps they should be calling for it to be read only under close supervision.

    A friend said he had come back from a trip to Afghanistan as ‘Religious’. In an abstract, non specific way no doubt… That 99% of Afghan Muslims support sharia is of course unconnected also.

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    Mute Patrick J O'CONNOR
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    Sep 20th 2016, 9:10 PM

    @Fake Avast:
    People who believe the ‘mentally ill’ excuse or the ‘lone wolf’ theory are mentally still or just plain bonkers.Eventually they’ll need a kick in the arce to wake them up.

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    Mute KingBen
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    Sep 20th 2016, 8:21 AM

    Mental illness now in America. Poor man. Give him a house, money and let him have his family over.

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    Mute Henri Poincaré
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    Sep 20th 2016, 8:11 AM

    Damn skittle!!

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    Mute Alex Jones
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    Sep 20th 2016, 8:31 AM

    The Muslim refugee crisis is an intentional attempt by European leaders and the globalists to cause civil anarchy they wish to create emergency powers to takeaway our rights and natural resources. It’s not PC or the left they are pawns. They reason you think the governments mess everything up is because they are. It’s not a mistake though they know what they are doing.

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    Mute Marlowemallow
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    Sep 20th 2016, 9:00 AM

    @Alex Jones: Never blame on conspiracy what can adequately be explained by stupidity. Both are likely to be at work here.

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    Mute Chris
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    Sep 20th 2016, 10:16 AM

    Soros is destroying Europe on Israel’s behalf because European countries oppose Israel’s illegal settlement project. The weapon of choice is the ‘muslim’ migration. This also cleanses the ME territories that Israel covets, its a win win. Furthermore, check out the Kalergi plan which also openly calls for the destruction of the European peoples through multiculturalism. And finally… Barbara Lerner Spectre, who runs a government-funded Jewish study group in Sweden, makes the following remarkable statement—remarkable because she does not attribute anti-Jewish attitudes to irrational prejudices or even Muslims who hate Israel. Instead she says that it’s because of the “leading role” played by Jews in the  movement  toward multiculturalism: I think there is a resurgence of anti-Semitism because at this point in time Europe has not yet learned how to be multicultural. And I think we are going to be part of the throes of that transformation, which must take place. Europe is not going to be the monolithic societies they once were in the last century. Jews are going to be at the centre of that. It’s a huge transformation for Europe to make. They are now going into a multicultural mode and Jews will be resented because of our leading role. But without that leading role and without that transformation, Europe will not survive.  

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    Mute Phil Hegarty
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    Sep 20th 2016, 10:18 AM

    Can the real Alex Jones please stand up

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    Mute Charlie Wrex
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    Sep 20th 2016, 11:21 AM

    Good man Chris. When in doubt, blame the Jews. Halfwit.

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    Mute Chris
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    Sep 20th 2016, 11:47 AM

    Play the ball not the person , are you disputing these facts? ” A leaked memo from left-wing financier George Soros’s Open Society Foundations argues that Europe’s refugee crisis should be accepted as a “new normal,” and that the refugee crisis means “new opportunities” for Soros’ organization to influence immigration policies on a global scale.” Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2016/08/15/leaked-soros-memo-refugee-crisis-new-normal-gives-new-opportunities-for-global-influence/#ixzz4Kn89XKMd Regards the Kalergi plan: ” In his book, “Praktischer Idealismus,” Kalergi writes: The man of the future will be of mixed race.The races and classes of today will gradually disappear due to the elimination of space, time, and prejudice. The Eurasian-negroid race of the future, similar in appearance to the Ancient Egyptians, will replace the diversity of peoples and the diversity of individuals. Instead of destroying European Judaism, Europe, against her will, refined and educated this people, driving them to their future status as a leading nation through this artificial evolutionary process. It’s not surprising that the people that escaped from the Ghetto-Prison, became the spiritual nobility of Europe. Thus, the compassionate care given by Europe created a new breed of aristocrats. This happened when the European feudal aristocracy crashed because of the emancipation of the Jews [due to the actions taken by the French Revolution] ” Barbara Spectre in her on words: https://youtu.be/MFE0qAiofMQ All very well slinging puerile insults insults but that is no form of debate.

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    Mute Charlie Wrex
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    Sep 20th 2016, 12:02 PM

    I’m sorry Chris. Hadn’t you down as a snowflake. So what you’re worried about is mixing of ‘races’ and the effects of the ‘emancipation’ of Jews? Let me get this straight, you’re blaming all the current geopolitical strife on Israel, or the Jews or both? Now where oh where did I hear this before? Any ideas Chris, you seem like you’d know? I look forward to your heavily selective quotes and indeed exhaustive confirmation bias. Good day sir.

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    Mute Chris
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    Sep 20th 2016, 12:22 PM

    I am dealing in facts, uncomfortable and inconvenient for you I know. And isn’t it a bit strange that Barbara Spectre is lecturing us Europeans about accepting multiculturalism when Israelis can’t even live with Palestinians on the very land they stole it from?

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    Mute Patrick Mac
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    Sep 20th 2016, 12:28 PM

    @Chris: True Chris, very true indeed. Unfortunately there are more asleep people in the West/Europe than there are awake.

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    Mute Charlie Wrex
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    Sep 20th 2016, 12:38 PM

    Facts indeed. Might be an idea to consider the 1.6 Israeli Arabs living in Israel no? But I digress, you were discussing mixing of races and uppity Jews earlier – please clarify your thoughts on this. I note sadly you never addressed them in your reply. I don’t think you will though, which is a shame. I would have thought such an unassailable intellect would be comfortable flexing itself.

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Sep 20th 2016, 7:27 PM

    “Can the real AlexJones please stand up”
    He’s too busy expanding his bank accounts by exploiting the gullible…

    10
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    Mute Frank's Cat
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    Sep 20th 2016, 7:32 PM

    All nations and races are only passing flashes in an ongoing process of diversification and interbreeding. Just ask the Phoenicians and the Illyrians.

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    Mute Patrick J O'CONNOR
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    Sep 20th 2016, 8:10 PM

    @Chris:
    366,000,000 Arabs in the ME. That’s a lot of cleansing to be done by Israel..
    Are you sure your head is screwed on right Chris!
    Hate like love is blind.No self-respecting thinking person should tolerate Jew-hatred in his mind for it will poison all his thoughts even unrelated thoughts.

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    Mute John Ward
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    Sep 20th 2016, 1:23 PM

    Isn’t it tragic how many “a sick, deranged young man” of Greater Middle Eastern origin gets involved in terrorist attacks. Poor young fellows!

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    Mute Buster VL
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    Sep 20th 2016, 9:13 PM

    There must be some common factor. For the life of me I can’t see what it could be that drives these young men insane.

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    Mute pe me
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    Sep 20th 2016, 8:41 AM

    Hi Media, can you share any more tips with these guys so that they don’t make such a bad effort at getting away with it again. Tip 1 make sure to remove finger prints. ..

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    Mute Buster VL
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    Sep 20th 2016, 9:14 PM

    Tip nr. 2. Bag over head.

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    Mute Joe Corleone
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    Sep 20th 2016, 9:46 PM

    Don’t sleep in a doorway of a bar when you’re the most wanted man in at least two states. Absolutely amazing.

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    Mute Anne Marie Dowdall
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    Sep 20th 2016, 8:56 AM

    Aw no, who’s gonna tell this “skittle” that the 72 virgins part of the deal is all off now, because that’t only for the dead skittles? But sure, he gets the second prize, a lifetime holiday in one of the USA’s very tough jails, not known for their adherence to the Prisoners Rights Bill. And where he really would’nt want to bend down to pick up the soap in the showers.

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    Mute Jennifer Feeney
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    Sep 20th 2016, 8:52 AM

    Does anyone know why it says “Fried chicken” randomly in this article? Ha

    56
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    Mute thejynxeffect
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    Sep 20th 2016, 9:38 AM

    I think a bomb was found outside a fried chicken shop

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    Mute Motherofdivinejebus
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    Sep 20th 2016, 9:56 AM

    @thejynxeffect: Rahami and his family live above their fried-chicken restaurant — called First American Fried Chicken

    It`s in the article, get another coffee into ye lad :-)

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    Mute thejynxeffect
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    Sep 20th 2016, 10:01 AM

    @Motherofdivinejebus: thanks i think i will!

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    Mute Neal not Neil
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    Sep 20th 2016, 7:12 PM

    Product placement.

    7
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    Mute Matt F
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    Sep 20th 2016, 7:15 PM

    Last line in Queen’s One Vision gimme gimme gimme Fried Chicken. Queen is in New York…mmmh we are through the looking glass here people

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    Mute Sean
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    Sep 20th 2016, 7:32 PM

    @atthejynx. I dont read the articles either, its just the journal repeating itself for most of the article and usually a load of shite!

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    Mute Sam Palmer
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    Sep 20th 2016, 9:38 PM

    @Jennifer Feeney:
    Loved the comment from a neighbour:
    Apart from lousy fried chicken the place seemed normal’

    9
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    Mute SteveW
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    Sep 20th 2016, 1:13 PM

    Is the comments section only open for men charged for a crime in the US and not Brazil?

    55
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    Mute Motherofdivinejebus
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    Sep 20th 2016, 9:10 AM

    Any word about the two men who tripped over the Pressure cooker bomb in a bag in the middle of the street, looked into the bag, took out the bomb, placed it on the ground and made off with the Bag????
    Leaving the “Bomb” in the middle of the road?

    The two men, caught on surveillance video footage, are considered potential witnesses, not suspects, in the bombing, said Robert Boyce, chief of detectives for the New York City Police Department.

    “They looked like they were two gentlemen just strolling up and down Seventh Avenue at the time. We have no information that would link them to this at all,” Boyce said at a briefing. “However, we still want to talk to them, obviously.”

    Boyce said the two men were seen picking up the bag containing the device, removing it and then leaving with the bag, for reasons that remains unclear. Police provided no specific description of the men who they said took the bag.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-attacks-bag-idUSKCN11Q029

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    Mute Patrick Mac
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    Sep 20th 2016, 12:26 PM

    Fook Pisslam !

    41
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    Mute Marlowemallow
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    Sep 20th 2016, 9:44 AM

    Attempted murder of the two arresting cops is a good holding charge while forensics line up their ducks on the bombs and his internet history etc.

    40
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    Mute Patrick J O'CONNOR
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    Sep 20th 2016, 8:14 PM

    In over 90% of so-called lone wolf terror attacks a whole den of wolves was discovered. So sit back and wait for the web to unfold……….

    —”In fact, suspects in all but a handful of the roughly 90 ISIS terror cases prosecuted in America since 2014 were part of a group of up to 10 co-conspirators who met in person to discuss their plans or who made contact via text messaging or e-mail, Reuters found in a recent review of Justice Department case files. Only 11 percent of cases involved a terrorist acting entirely alone. “Wolf dens, not lone wolves, [are] the norm in US Islamic State plots,” the wire service concluded, further casting doubt on the official White House line.—–”
    http://nypost.com/2016/06/18/why-the-lone-wolf-terrorist-is-a-myth/

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    Mute Mumpsimus
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    Sep 20th 2016, 9:19 AM

    Fingerprints and DNA at the scene hmm . How did they have his on file to link him as the suspect? DNA I presume takes time to match to someone .
    And why all of a sudden is this attempted murder and not an act of terrorism?

    The media are usually all over this crap as front page news.

    23
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    Mute Motherofdivinejebus
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    Sep 20th 2016, 9:29 AM

    @Mumpsimus: I reckon they could his fingerprints easily from when he was being made a naturalized American or application for his green card

    38
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    Mute David Thomas
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    Sep 20th 2016, 7:20 PM

    That should be 29 charges of wounding with intent to kill at least!

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    Mute Celticwarrior
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    Sep 20th 2016, 9:57 AM

    I wonder what colour skittle he was…

    17
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    Mute Marlowemallow
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    Sep 20th 2016, 9:03 PM

    “The wife and mother of the Afghan immigrant suspected in the New York and New Jersey bombings left the US for the Middle East just a few days before the attacks, according to reports.”

    http://nypost.com/2016/09/20/chelsea-bombing-suspects-wife-left-us-days-before-attack/

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    Mute Marlowemallow
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    Sep 20th 2016, 9:08 PM

    Same father who once fought with the Taliban. The son was not a big fan of Israelis and liked to read the Quran when business was slow. Very devout.

    “He became noticeably devout after returning from a visit to his homeland two years ago, friends and law enforcement sources said.

    “He had changed. He dressed differently, more religiously, the robe and everything,” Flee Jones, 27, a childhood pal of Rahami, told The Post.

    “I really never expected it from him. He was always this fun-loving guy, but now he was all quiet. He had found religion. It’s mind-blowing.

    When business was slow, he would often pull out his Koran and play Middle Eastern music, said customer Brayant Ocampo, 17.

    “One day I asked him about it and he said it’s like a Bible for our religion,” Ocampo recalled. “He was into his religion.

    A construction worker who lives next to the fried chicken restaurant described the Rahami family as fiercely private.

    “They didn’t really talk to anybody,” said Miguel, 41, who declined to give his last name.

    He said Ahmad Rahami and a couple of other restaurant workers stopped talking to him entirely when his Israeli heritage came up during a conversation three years ago.

    “The first thing I did after I talked to them is I went to check my car underneath … I went to check for a bomb,” he said.

    Former Marine Johnathan Wagner, 26, said Mohammad Rahami once showed him a photo from his days as a mujahedeen fighter in Afghanistan in the ’90s.

    “He fought off the Russians,” Wagner said.”

    http://nypost.com/2016/09/19/chelsea-bomb-suspect-found-religion-after-trip-to-afghanistan/

    14
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    Mute Alan Tright
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    Sep 20th 2016, 7:29 PM

    Why are comments reopened on this article but closed in this one: “Who is the low-key fried chicken chef who’s charged with bombing Manhattan? http://jrnl.ie/2988534

    11
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    Mute Marlowemallow
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    Sep 20th 2016, 9:12 PM

    “during his shootout with cops Monday, Rahami was carrying a notebook containing his pro-jihadist writings, including a reference to slain al-Qaeda terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki, a law enforcement source told The Post.

    The bloodied, bullet-pierced book also contained Rahami’s notes about “killing the kuffar,” or unbeliever, The Times reported.”

    http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/21/nyregion/ahmad-khan-rahami-suspect.html?_r=1

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    Mute Sam Palmer
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    Sep 20th 2016, 9:41 PM

    Interestingly enough Colonel Sanders was a pacifist who dodged being drafted into the army.
    People were always pointing at him and saying ‘Dirty rotten chicken’
    One day he thought ‘Hmm!’ and the rest is history.

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    Mute Paul Mc Manus
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    Sep 20th 2016, 8:45 PM

    Trump will jump on this big time.

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    Mute Patrick J O'CONNOR
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    Sep 20th 2016, 9:22 PM

    @Paul Mc Manus:
    By the looks of things he’ll be jumping all the way right into the White House.

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    Mute Dubabroad
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    Sep 21st 2016, 9:03 AM

    If he’d been unarmed and a few shades darker it wouldn’t have been his leg they aimed for…

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    Mute ACturnbull
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    Sep 21st 2016, 12:22 AM

    False flag operation by Trump Inc and it’s so obvious

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