On September 17, 2016, tragedy struck in Chelsea New York as thirty-one people were injured in an apartment building explosion. According to Mayor Bill de Blasio, while the act was intentional as the source of the explosion was found in a nearby dumpster, there is no immediate threat against New York from a terrorist organization. The explosion source was a pressure cooker with wiring. There was also what appeared to be a cell phone dust taped to the device.
The surveillance video of the scene showed a suspicious individual who the police investigated as a suspect for this incident. Upon further investigation, the police arrested Ahmad Khan Rahami. Rahami was found asleep later on in the night in the doorway of a bar in New Jersey. He had the police called on him and upon waking up, a gunfight occurred between the officers on the call and Rahami. Rahami was arrested for several crimes including the use of weapons of mass destruction and for bombing a public place. He was also charged with five counts of attempted murder against a police officer. Rhombi's bail for his crimes is over five million dollars.
In 2014, Rahami was looked into by federal agents due to his father, who claimed his son was a terrorist. However, Rahami was never officially interviewed about the subject and the case was stopped. Now, upon investigation, officials are claiming that Rahami's motive for the crime is due to extremist Islamic views and that his crime was inspired by Osama Bin Laden, the extremist behind the terrorist attack that also occurred in New York City on September 11th, 2001. An official is also claiming that Rahami was found with a notebook filled with extremist ideologies and praise of Anwar al-Awlaki, the former leader of the terrorist organization Al Qaeda.
Earlier the same day, there was another explosion in New Jersey at a Marine Corps charity run. One person was injured during this event. New York City Mayor De Blasio has said the two events are unrelated with the evidence officials have collected so far.
As someone who grew up in New York, I can share from personal experience that during this difficult time, the members of the New York community to provide strength, comfort and support for those affected by this tragedy. Thankfully, no deaths have come from this terrorist attack and while it may take some time, New York will remain strong through this period of confusion over what really happened Saturday night at 8:30 in a neighborhood. It is time to stand together and unite in order to stop the fear.
