A suspect wanted in connection with the weekend explosions in New York and New Jersey was taken into custody by police on Monday
{mosads}Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, a U.S. citizen born in Afghanistan, was taken into custody in Linden, N.J., J. Christian Bollwage, the mayor of nearby Elizabeth, N.J., told reporters.
One police officer was shot in the vest and another shot in the hand while apprehending the suspect, while Rahami “sustained shots” and was transported by ambulance, the mayor said.
CNN aired local video of the suspect, who was apparently conscious, being loaded into an ambulance.
A local postman interviewed by media said he heard “maybe 12-15” gunshots, though he said he did not personally see what he described as a shootout.
Authorities launched a massive manhunt for Rahami on Monday as officials suggested as many as four separate incidents could be linked to an international network.
They later said there is “no indication” he is part of a terror cell.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) had warned that the Elizabeth resident should be considered armed and dangerous but declined to say how he might have been involved in the blast Saturday evening in the city’s Chelsea neighborhood that left 29 people injured.
Hours after that blast, an unexploded device was found blocks away.
Earlier Saturday, a bomb exploded on a charity race route in Seaside Park, N.J. And on Monday, officials found multiple bombs in a backpack near a train station in Elizabeth.
President Obama did not mention Rahami’s apprehension during morning comments in which he focused on the fight against terrorist groups.
A law enforcement official said there is evidence Rahami was connected to the Chelsea explosion and the Jersey Shore bombing, according to The New York Times.
His arrest came after police issued a cellphone alert to millions of residents in New York warning of Rahami and identifying him.