Investigators believe they have identified Ahmad Rahami, the suspect in the New York bombing earlier this month, on surveillance video exiting a train hours before an explosive went off in the city.
Rahami was seen exiting a NJ Transit train at Penn Station in New York around 6 p.m. ET, a couple hours before the bombing.
The man is seen on video carrying a backpack as well as two rolling duffle bags. Authorities believe the backpack contained the pipe bombs later found in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and the duffle bags contained pressure cooker bombs.
One of those bombs exploded on West 23rd Street, and the other was later found unexploded on West 27th Street. At this point, investigators had not identified video showing the man believed to be Rahami leaving New York City.
In the federal criminal complaints filed against Rahami last week, investigators described a vehicle spotted during surveillance near Rahami’s Elizabeth home and records later show it entering Manhattan through the Lincoln Tunnel around 6:30 p.m. ET. As a result of the surveillance video at Penn Station, investigators do not believe Rahami was in the car.
The criminal complaints said the same vehicle left Manhattan through the same tunnel at approximately 11:30 p.m. ET. Investigators are still working to determine who was in the vehicle entering and exiting Manhattan, and whether there is a connection to the bombings.
Rahami was captured last Monday after a manhunt and shootout.
He was charged with five counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer after the shootout with police last week in Linden, New Jersey, Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park said. He is also charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon and second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.