The Latest: Obama praises law enforcement in bomb case

By Associated Press and NBC News – NEW YORK (AP) - The Latest on explosive devices being found in two states (all times local):

5:20 p.m.

President Barack Obama is praising law enforcement in New York for "outstanding" work in capturing the man sought for questioning in bombings in New York and New Jersey.

He says it was remarkable that Ahmad Khan Rahami was apprehended so quickly.

Obama says he spoke by phone on Monday with some of the officers involved in the operation in New Jersey and that they're in good spirits.

He says he also spoke to an officer involved in the response to stabbings in Minnesota. Obama has said the stabbings are being investigated as an act of terrorism.

Obama spoke after a previously scheduled meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (HY'-dahr ahl ah-BAH'-dee) in New York.

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3:30 p.m.

A law enforcement official says fingerprints and surveillance video helped investigators identify the man suspected of setting off bombs in the New York area over the weekend.

The official says Ahmad Khan Rahami is seen in surveillance footage "clear as day" at the scene of the Saturday night bombing in Manhattan. The official says investigators were also able to recover his fingerprints from the scene.

Another law enforcement official says investigators pulled over a car "associated" with Rahami when it appeared headed toward an airport Sunday. It had three men and two women in it.

A third law enforcement official says Rahami wasn't on any terror or no-fly watch lists but had been interviewed for immigration purposes.

The officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about the case.

-Associated Press writer Jake Pearson in New York contributed to this report.

2 p.m.

A federal law enforcement official says three bombs found in New York and New Jersey over the weekend had one component in common: a flip-style cellphone.

The official says a pipe bomb that exploded in Seaside Park, New Jersey, was constructed with a threaded pipe and black powder.

The official says two devices found in New York City included pressure cookers, similar to the devices used in the 2013 attack the Boston Marathon that killed three and wounded hundreds of people. The device that exploded contained residue from the commercially available explosive compound Tannerite.

One of those bombs went off, injuring 29 people. The other didn't explode.

The official was not authorized to publicly discuss the case and spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details of the ongoing investigation.

-Associated Press writer Alicia A. Caldwell in Washington contributed to this report.

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1:50 p.m.

Investigators probing bomb blasts in New York and New Jersey say they've found no evidence so far that the suspect in the attacks was part of a broader terrorist cell.

New York City's mayor and police commissioner also say no other suspects are being sought at this time.

Ahmad Khan Rahami was shot Monday in an exchange of gunfire with police in Linden, New Jersey.

The assistant director of the FBI's field office in New York, William Sweeney Jr., said in a news briefing that "there is no indication that there's a cell" in the area.

The officials say evidence links Rahami to bomb blasts on Saturday in a New Jersey shore town and in Manhattan.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said that, based on current information, "We have every reason to believe this was an act of terror."

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1:25 p.m.

Authorities say a man whom a law enforcement official says is regarded as the "main guy" behind explosions in New York City and New Jersey is undergoing surgery after a shootout with police.

Union County Prosecutor Grace Park said Ahmad Khan Rahami was shot in the leg. She says that two officers injured in the shootout have noncritical injuries.

A law enforcement official says they plan to look into whether any other associates had a role or knowledge. The official, who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Linden police Capt. James Sarnicki says one officer was shot in his bulletproof vest and another was grazed by a bullet that Rahami fired into his car.

-Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.

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1:10 p.m.

A law enforcement official says investigators regard Ahmad Khan Rahami as the "main guy" behind explosions in New York City and New Jersey but plan to look into whether any other associates had a role or knowledge.

The official says investigators are not seeing connection between the explosions and a separate stabbing attack at a mall in Minnesota. President Barack Obama likewise said earlier Monday that investigators see no connection between the bombings and the stabbings.

The official, who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation by name and spoke on condition of anonymity, also said Rahami was not believed to be on federal terror watch lists at the time of the explosions.

Rahami was arrested after a shootout with police Monday in Linden, New Jersey.

-Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.

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12:50 p.m.

Relatives of a man in custody after explosives were found in New York and New Jersey filed a federal lawsuit in 2011, claiming they and their family business were targeted because they are Muslims.

In the lawsuit, Mohammad Rahami and two of his sons claimed that starting in July 2008, Elizabeth police and city officials improperly tried to restrict the their fast-food restaurant's hours.

The lawsuit was terminated in 2012 after Mohammad Rahami pleaded guilty to blocking police from enforcing the restriction. The city was fighting the claims.

Ahmad Khan Rahami, who was arrested after a shootout Monday in Linden, was not part of the lawsuit.

The family claimed that baseless citations were issued against them, spawned by complaints filed by residents who disliked them and made anti-Muslim comments to them.

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This item has been corrected to show the father's last name is Rahami, not Ruhami.

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12:10 p.m.

Authorities say the man wanted for questioning about bombs found in New York and New Jersey was found sleeping in a bar hallway before his arrest.

Linden, New Jersey, Mayor Derek Armstead says the owner of a bar found the man sleeping in his hallway Monday morning. He says the man was initially presumed to be a vagrant, but police officers who responded quickly realized it was Ahmad Khan Rahami.

Armstead says the man pulled out a handgun and fired at the officers, hitting one in a bulletproof vest. The man then began firing as he ran down the street and police shot him in the leg. The man was conscious when he was taken away in an ambulance.

Linden police Capt. James Sarnicki says three police officers were taken to the hospital. One was hit by shrapnel and another had high blood pressure.

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11:55 a.m.

President Barack Obama says investigators are focusing on a "person of interest" in the New York and New Jersey bombings, but see no connection to the stabbings in Minnesota.

Obama says the country is "extremely fortunate" nobody was killed in the bombings. He says he's spoken to the governors of New Jersey and New York and pledged all needed federal assistance.

He spoke around the time police in New Jersey arrested Ahmad Khan Rahami, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Afghanistan with an address in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Authorities were looking for him to question him about the bombings.

The president is echoing FBI officials who have said they're investigating the Minnesota stabbings as a potential act of terrorism.

Obama is urging Americans to report suspicious activity to law enforcement.

Obama is in New York for the annual U.N. General Assembly gathering.

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11:35 a.m.

A law enforcement official says the Afghan immigrant wanted in connection with explosions in New York City and New Jersey has been taken into custody following a shootout with police officers.

The official says two officers were shot in the encounter in Linden, New Jersey. The person wasn't authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Authorities were looking for Ahmad Khan Rahami, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Afghanistan with an address in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Elizabeth Mayor Christian Bollwage says county authorities told him that the officers shot in Linden are expected to be OK. He says one was struck in a protective vest and the other in the hand.

-Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.

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11 a.m.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says investigators have no reason to believe that there are further threats, but the public should "be on constant guard."

Cuomo was at Manhattan's Penn Station to thank state troopers and National Guard members for their work protecting the public during and after the New York City and New Jersey shore town bombings.

Cuomo says he spoke to President Barack Obama on Monday. He says the president also expressed appreciation for the work of first responders.

Authorities are seeking a man for questioning in both bombings.

He is 28-year-old Ahmad Khan Rahami, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Afghanistan. His last known address was in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where the FBI executed a search warrant on Monday morning.

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9:45 a.m.

Police have connected the New York City and New Jersey shore town bombings and say the same man is being sought for questioning in both.

New Jersey State Police say that information comes from the FBI.

Authorities are seeking 28-year-old Ahmad Khan Rahami, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Afghanistan. His last known address was in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where the FBI executed a search warrant on Monday morning.

An explosion in Manhattan on Saturday injured 29 people. A pipe bomb also exploded Saturday in Seaside Park ahead of the race for Marines and sailors, but no one was injured.

The apartment search began after one of five devices found at the nearby Elizabeth train station exploded while a bomb squad robot attempted to disarm it. No one was injured.

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9:05 a.m.

The White House says President Barack Obama was briefed throughout the night and early Monday on the investigation into bombs found in New York City and New Jersey.

Spokesman Josh Earnest says the White House is following the situation closely. He says Obama will comment publicly "relatively soon."

He was expected to comment Monday afternoon after a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (HY'-dahr ahl ah-BAH'-dee) on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

An explosion Saturday night in New York City injured 29 people. FBI agents are also investigating the discovery Sunday of five devices in a backpack near a New Jersey train station.

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8 a.m.

New York's governor now says it looks like the Manhattan bombing could be an act of terrorism with a foreign connection.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the statement Monday after the New York Police Department said authorities were searching for 28-year-old Ahmad Khan Rahami in connection with the bombing. He is a naturalized citizen from Afghanistan.

Cuomo says: "Today's information suggests it may be foreign related, but we'll see where it goes."

On Sunday, Cuomo had effectively ruled out a link to international terrorism, saying there was no evidence to suggest that.

The bomb went off Saturday in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, injuring 29 people. All have been released from a hospital.

Authorities are still investigating whether that bombing is linked to explosive devices found nearby in Manhattan and in two sites in New Jersey.

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7:45 a.m.

The New York Police Department says it is looking for a 28-year-old man for questioning in the New York City bombing.

The NYPD tweeted Monday morning that authorities were seeking Ahmad Khan Rahami. He is a naturalized citizen from Afghanistan.

Bill de Blasio says he could be armed and dangerous.

An explosion in Manhattan on Saturday injured 29 people. Gov. Andrew Cuomo had said earlier that it didn't appear to be linked to international terrorism. A pressure cooker device was also found blocks away, but it didn't explode. Authorities were trying to determine if they were connected.

A pipe bomb also exploded Saturday in a New Jersey shore town ahead of a 5K. No one was injured.

And on Sunday night, five explosive devices were found near an Elizabeth, New Jersey, train station.

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2 a.m.

Authorities are questioning several people as they try to determine any possible connection between an explosion in a bustling New York City neighborhood, an unexploded pressure-cooker device found blocks away and a pipe bomb blast in New Jersey.

FBI spokeswoman Kelly Langmesser says agents stopped "a vehicle of interest in the investigation" of the Manhattan explosion Sunday night. She said no one has been charged.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the Saturday night blast in Manhattan that injured 29 people didn't appear to be linked to international terrorism.

Cell phones were discovered at the site of both bombings. Authorities say the New York City bomb contained residue of an explosive often used for target practice that can be picked up in many sporting goods stores.

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