Ahmad Khan Rahami: How police took down the New York bombing suspect

Huge manhunt ended when the 28-year-old suspect was spotted asleep in the doorway of a bar in Linden, New Jersey

A vagrant. That was the first thing that went through the mind of bar owner Harinder Bains when he discovered a young man sleeping in the doorway of his premises. He picked up his phone and dialled the police.

But the individual was not a homeless man seeking shelter. When police arrived at Merdie's Tavern in a nondescript street in Linden, New Jersey, on Monday morning, they challenged the man and demanded he show them his hands.

As it was, he reached for a gun and entered into a chaotic shoot-out with officers that ended with Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, being shot twice and detained by police who quickly realised the individual was the man wanted in connection with a series of explosions that had rocked the New York region and sent shockwaves around the world.

“We have every reason to believe this was an act of terrorism,” said New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, speaking after Mr Rahami was taken into custody. He said that at this point, police were not looking for anyone else and were not aware of any direct threat to New York.

Video footage showed Rahami, who was from the New Jersey town of Elizabeth, bloodied and bandaged as he was taken away in an ambulance, shortly after the shoot-out which echoed through the quiet neighbourhood. By Monday afternoon, he was undergoing surgery in a local hospital.

“He was sleeping in the doorway of a bar. Someone thought he was a vagrant,” Linden Police Captain James Sarnicki told reporters at the scene. Asked why the young man was hiding there, he said: “He was probably on the run. He was running out of options.”

Mr Sarnicki said the suspect had shot and hit the first officer and then fled on foot. Other officers then pursued him and exchanged more shots. A second officer was hurt when glass from his police vehicle windscreen was shattered by one of the suspect’s bullets.

Eventually, police were able to stop the suspect at the junction of Rosselle Street and Ziegler Avenue. He was shot in the arm and leg, but was conscious when he was taken into custody, said the police captain.

On Monday morning, with New York preparing to host the heads of state of hundreds of countries attending the UN General Assembly, officials said they believed the series of bomb related incidents - a bomb that was found on the course of a charity run in New Jersey, an explosion in New York that injured 30 people and a bag of pipe bombs found in Elizabeth, New Jersey - may have a link to international terror.

The revelation by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo represented a shift in the position of the authorities, which had previously said that while the incidents represented terrorism, there was no obvious foreign link.

“Today’s information suggests it may be foreign related, but we’ll see where it goes,” he said. Officials have not provided further details about possible links, and groups such as Isis have not claimed responsibility.

At a press conference on Monday afternoon, the FBI said its investigation was ongoing, but said they had uncovered no evidence of any sort of terror cell.

The detention of Mr Rahami came after police on Sunday night revealed that they had identified a “person of interest” in connection with the explosions. After poring over CCTV footage, officers on Monday morning named Mr Rahami, a naturalised citizen from Afghanistan, as the person they were looking for.

“Emergency alert. Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28-year-old man. See media for pic. Call 911,” said a message sent to million of mobile phone subscribers in the region.

Ahmad Khan Rahami is taken into custody after a shootout with police in Linden, New Jersey (AP)

In Linden, residents said they had been alerted to the drama that was playing out on their streets when they heard the sound of police sirens. Some people had heard the shoot-out.

“I heard the shots and I heard the police,” said Vince Uravi, 70, who lives two streets away. “I thought it was something. I thought it was something because this guy lived in Elizabeth.”

John Michelli, 68, who owns an electrical business, said he had followed the news developments all over the weekend and suspected they were linked. He said he believed that more attacks would follow.

“I think there is more to come. When I saw what happened in New Jersey, I said I think there is more to come.”

Mr Michelli said everywhere in the world was vulnerable to attacks and it was hard to protect against them. Yet, he said be believed the US authorities were not doing sufficient.

“I would say ‘Go Trump,” he said. “That is the only shot we have. What we’re doing now, is not working.”