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FBI Confirms Capture Of Afghani Native Sought In Bombings After Shootout

UPDATE: Authorities in Union County charged the man suspected in a weekend bombing spree in New Jersey and New York with five counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer after he was wounded in a shootout with police Monday morning in Linden.

Rahami, in this shot from exclusive ABC7 Eyewitness News video.

Rahami, in this shot from exclusive ABC7 Eyewitness News video.

Photo Credit: COURTESY: ABC7 Eyewitness News
Ahmad Khan Rahami

Ahmad Khan Rahami

Photo Credit: EDISON HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOK
Linden Police Officers Angel Padilla, Peter Hammer

Linden Police Officers Angel Padilla, Peter Hammer

Photo Credit: COURTESY: Linden PD
Ahmad Khan Rahami

Ahmad Khan Rahami

Photo Credit: COURTESY: NYPD
From NY State Sen. Marty Golden's Instagram page.

From NY State Sen. Marty Golden's Instagram page.

Photo Credit: NY State Sen. Marty Golden Instagram page
The blog post.

The blog post.

Photo Credit: Tumblr
"I will be remembered. I will make a difference. I will eliminate my targets before it is too late."

"I will be remembered. I will make a difference. I will eliminate my targets before it is too late."

Photo Credit: Tumblr
"I suppose I’m just going to have to move forward knowing that what I am doing had a purpose and will in fact make a difference. I’ll keep you all posted."

"I suppose I’m just going to have to move forward knowing that what I am doing had a purpose and will in fact make a difference. I’ll keep you all posted."

Photo Credit: Tumblr

Ahmad Khan Rahami was also charged with various weapons possession counts, Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park said.

The 28-year-old Elizabeth resident -- a native of Afghanistan who was graduated from Edision High School -- was wanted for questioning in connection with Saturday night's bombings in midtown Manhattan and Seaside Park, as well as several bombs found at a train station near his home.

A bar owner in Lindon found him sleeping in the tavern doorway Monday morning and called police from another business he owns across the street after recognizing Rahami, authorities said.

A shootout followed in which Linden Police Officers Angel Padilla, Peter Hammer were injured, authorities said.

Rahami emigrated to the U.S. in 1995 as a child after his father came seeking asylum, authorities said. He graduated high school in 2007 (see photo, above) and became a naturalized citizen four years later, they said.

PREVIOUS STORY: The FBI on Monday afternoon confirmed the capture of a 28-year-old Elizabeth man wanted for questioning in connection with Saturday night's bombings in midtown Manhattan and Seaside Park, as well as several bombs found at a train station near his home, after a shootout in Linden.

Investigators believe Ahmad Khan Rahami acted alone, FBI Assistant Director William Sweeney said during a Manhattan news conference.

Officials with the FBI's Newark Field Office say they "would like to thank all the hard working men & women of law enforcement who have worked around the clock to apprehend Rahami."

The bureau also honored "the heroism of the Linden PD. Wishing a fast recovery to the 2 wounded officers."

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ALSO SEE: Port Authority police on Monday afternoon deployed several heavy weapons teams to all access points of the George Washington Bridge, as well as at the tunnels and airports in New Jersey and New York, Daily Voice has learned.

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Linden police got a call about 10:30 a.m. of a man sleeping in the doorway of a local bar, which was closed, Linden Police Capt. James Sarnicki told MSNBC.

A responding officer found Rahami, he said.

"Show your hands," the officer told Rahami, the captain said.

Rahami pulled a gun and fired one shot, hitting the officer in the abdomen, he said. The officer's bulletproof vest took most of the blow.

The officer returned fire and Rahami walked down the street, "indiscrimnately firing his weapon at passing vehicles," Sanicki said.

Several officers responded -- one of whom was hit in the face with shrapnel, he said.

Rahami was shot several times but was conscious when loaded into an ambulance, authorities said.

Authorities said they also secured a backpack that Rahmani was carrying and were awaiting a bomb squad and K9 unit in the 500 block of Elizabeth Avenue in the Union County town.

Rahami is a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Afghanistan, said authorities who also conducted several raids Monday morning Elizabeth, where five bombs were found in a train station.

They also took five people into custody Sunday night after stopping a "vehicle of interest" on the Belt Parkway just coming off the Verrazzano Bridge, NY state Sen. Marty Golden reported.

The first weekend explosion was in a trash can near the Seaside Park boardwalk as a charity 5K race to benefit U.S. military members was about to begin Saturday morning. No one was injured and the race was cancelled.

Then came another trash can bombing at 23rd Street off Seventh Avenue that injured 29 people around 8:30 p.m. Another device was found blocks away.

The FBI said several “improvised explosive devices” were found packaged Sunday night in a trash can near the Elizabeth train station. It denoated while a robot was securing it, but no one was injured, the FBI said.

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UPDATE: The FBI arrested five people Sunday night in connection with the Saturday night bombing in the Chelsea section of Manhattan, a New York State lawmaker said.

The five suspects had weapons in their SUV when it was stopped around 9:30 p.m. on the Belt Parkway after exiting off the Verrazzano Bridge, state Sen. Marty Golden wrote on his Instagram account, citing NYPD sources.

The FBI tweeted confirmation just before midnight: "We did a traffic stop of a vehicle of interest in the investigation. No one has been charged with any crime. The investigation is continuing."

Authorities also hadn't publicly said whether they believed that a pair of blog posts by someone claiming to be responsible for the 8:30 p.m. blast at 23rd Street off Seventh Avenue that injured 29 people and the planting of another device that didn't detonate several blocks away was genuine.

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EARLIER STORY: "This is not the end, this is just the beginning," wrote someone who claimed to be the New York City bomber .

"You probably have all seen the news by now," the person wrote on a two-post Tumblr blog -- which was removed just before 2 p.m., about eight hours after the post.

It was called "I'm the NY Bomber," subtitled "This is will be my manifesto" (see image above).

Unconfirmed reports were that the blog postings -- one of which was titled "Taking a Human Life" and "Manufacturing Test Explosives" -- originated in North Carolina and weren't posted by the person responsible

Authorities also didn't say whether they see a connection to a Seaside Park bombing Saturday morning.

They did reveal that a 911 call came in after the 8:30 p.m. blast Saturday claiming "there will be more."

The NYPD was investigating.

"[T]he explosives detonated in New York City, that was me," the blog post says of the Chelsea bombing at 23rd Street off Seventh Avenue that injured 29 people. Another device was found nearby.

"Those were just some tests," the blogger writes. "I know where I have made errors and I will not make the same mistake next time."

"I did it because I cannot stand society. I cannot live in a world where homosexuals like myself as well as the rest of the LGBTQ+ community are looked down upon by society.

"It is 2016 and we are still being viewed as mentally ill, sinners, attention seekers, and just plain weirdos in general.

"I am not going to stand by while under classed and underprivileged people are oppressed. I am not going to stand by while there is inequality in my country such as the racism being seen in white police officers all over the country. I am not going to live in a country where it is OK to have a misogynist, xenophobic, racist Islamophobic, republican candidate running for President of The United States!

"That’s implying that republicans in general should even be taken seriously as they are all cisgendered[sic] privileged white people."

In the blog's first post, the writer says:

"I don’t know exactly how I feel about taking human lives. However, what I do know is that If I don’t do what needs to be done nobody will pay attention.

"LGBTQ+ people are much more likely to commit suicide than straight cisgendered people.

"It seems that nobody cares," the writer adds. "[H]owever what if people from the LGBTQ+ community started lashing out in response to the violence and oppression we face with violence and possibly oppression?

"I’m sure that would give people a reason to not stand by while so many people are being oppressed.

"I suppose I’m just going to have to move forward knowing that what I am doing had a purpose and will in fact make a difference. I’ll keep you all posted."

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