The Latest: Police say bombings in NYC, New Jersey connected

NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on explosive devices being found in two states (all times local):

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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