The weekend saw three terrorism-related attacks across the country, including a stabbing in Minnesota, bomb explosions in New York and New Jersey and the discovery of additional bombs in New Jersey.
Here’s how it all unfolded (all times Eastern unless otherwise noted):
Saturday, Sept. 17
Approx. 9:30 a.m.: A pipe bomb exploded in a trash can in Seaside Park, N.J., at a Marine Corp charity race. Though timed to detonate just before the start of a run that was expected to attract about 3,000 people, the event had been cancelled upon finding a backpack with the explosive devices. Of three pipe bombs found, one exploded and no one was injured.
Approx. 8 p.m., CST: A man wearing a security guard uniform and making references to Allah stabbed 4 people at a mall in St. Cloud, Minn. The assailant, who is reportedly Somali, was shot and killed by police. Three people were hospitalized, including one who is in critical condition. Although not independently confirmed, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.
8:31 p.m.: A homemade pressure cooker bomb filled with shrapnel either in or near a dumpster exploded in the residential Chelsea neighborhood in Manhattan, N.Y. Twenty-nine people were injured, and 24 of them were taken to the hospital. Although none of the reported injuries were life-threatening, one individual was severely injured with a puncture wound. The police swept the area in search for other devices and found a second pressure cooker bomb about four blocks away from the original blast.
11:15 p.m.: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio stated at a press conference that the explosion was an “intentional act” but did not label it a terrorist attack. “There is no specific and credible threat to New York City from any terror organization.” The New York City police commissioner said it is still not clear what caused the Chelsea neighborhood explosion.
Sunday, Sept. 18
Early morning: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said there is no question that the bombings were an intrinsically terrorist attacks, but said during the early stages of the investigation “there is no evidence of an international terrorism connection with this incident.” De Blasio declined several times to call the New York incident an act of terror, stating “it was intentional, it was a violent act, it was certainly a criminal act, it was a bombing — that’s what we know,” but if “there were any specific motivations, political motivations, any connection to an organization — that’s what we don’t know.”
Sources told CNN, investigators discovered surveillance video showing the same suspect placing the first bomb and also leaving the second in a duffel bag. Two individuals later came by to take that pressure cooker bomb out of the bag before leaving.
Late Sunday evening: Five men connected to the investigation are detained during a traffic stop on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Late Sunday evening: Multiple pipe bombs are discovered outside an Elizabeth, N.J., train station by some homeless men. One of these bombs detonated after the police attempted to defuse it, but the rest were taken into custody. No one was injured.
Monday, Sept. 19
Early morning: De Blasio announced the name and released a photograph of the suspect as law enforcement asked for help in a manhunt. Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, is an Afghan-born naturalized U.S. citizen residing in Elizabeth, N.J. Cuomo reiterated that the incidents were acts of terror, and said it is likely there is a “foreign connection.” The individuals arrested on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge are revealed to be the suspect’s family members. Police raid the Rahami’s family home and restaurant as part of the ongoing investigation.
Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, is an Afghan-born naturalized U.S. citizen residing in Elizabeth, N.J.
Approx. 11:00 a.m.: Authorities connect Rahami with both the New York explosion and Seaside Park, N.J., bomb threats. Police identified the suspect after receiving a call about someone sleeping in the doorway of a business. A shootout ensued after Rahami drew out a weapon and four officers were wounded. The suspect was shot multiple times by police officers and was taken into custody.
Approx. 11:30 a.m.: President Obama said though people should not give into terrorist’s goals, he did not call the New York City and New Jersey incidents terrorist attacks. He said officials have not determined a connection between these events and the Minnesota stabbings.
FBI assistant director Bill Sweeney, second from right, joins New York Police Department commissioner at a press conference updating bombing investigation. (AP Photo)
Afternoon: New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill stated at a press conference that the investigation is still active after getting Rahami in custody, now the investigation will focus on “whether this individual acted alone and what his motivations may have been.” De Blasio said of the New York bombing that “we have every reason to believe this was an act of terror.” Assistant director of the F.B.I William F. Sweeney Jr. stated the suspect appears to not have been on a terrorist watchlist, saying “there’s nothing to indicate that he was currently on our radar.”
