On September 17, a bomb went off in New York City and another in Seaside Park, New Jersey. On September 18, a bomb went off in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The prime suspect of these crimes, Ahmad Khan Rahami, was arrested in Linden, New Jersey after a violent shootout with police. In this shootout, he shot two cops that sustained non-life threatening injuries. Rahami, himself, was shot multiple times and then arrested. The Afghan-born U.S. citizen was thought to be radicalized when he was studying in a heavily Taliban-presence area in Pakistan.

         The first garbage explosion in Seaside Park, New Jersey took place during a Marine Corps charity race. No one was wounded during this blast. Nearby, two more unexploded bombs were found and defused. Another blast that night came from Chelsea, New York. This explosion injured 29 people, but no deaths were reported. A pressure cooker was found only a few blocks away. Around this time, law enforcement agents found surveillance videos of a man, who appears to be Rahami, dragging a duffle bag around the sites where the explosions occurred. Lastly, on September 18, five bombs were found in a backpack outside a pub in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Since then, there haven’t been any more explosions nor are there thought to be any bombs.

           Rahami’s father, Mohammad Rahami, had reported his son as a possible terrorist years earlier. While the FBI investigated the case, they never found Rahami with “any links to terrorism.” This attack is added to the ever-growing list of investigated but dismissed cases. These dismissed case have resulted in terrorist attacks which have caused severe injuries or death. This is starting to become a controversial issue; however, the FBI, in order to protect the privacy and civil liberties of citizens protected by the constitution, cannot conduct open-ended investigations without a crime being committed first. Rahami, who perhaps may have appeared suspicious, did no such crime and therefore, couldn’t be thoroughly investigated.

         Therefore, the problem remains and tensions continue to grow. To make matters worse with the New York and New Jersey bombs, Rahami was reportedly being uncooperative with authorities. Due to this, it was uncertain if Rahami was working alone. Evidence does indeed suggest that Rahami was not working alone; however, law enforcement has assured citizens that there is no reason to think a bomber is on the run.