Father of Ahmad Khan Rahami Told Police his Son was a Terrorist in 2014, Officials Say

Two years ago, #AhmadKhanRahami, the man who is suspected to be responsible for the recent bombings in #NewYork and #NewJersey, was under review by federal agents after his father told authorities that he was a terrorist.

The day after his son’s arrest, #MohammadRahami, the father of the suspected bomber, spoke with reporters outside of the family’s restaurant in #Elizabeth, New Jersey, claiming he called the FBI twice about his son.

According to the #NewYorkTimes, Mohammad said that at the time he outed his son as an extremist, Ahmad had just had a fight with another one of his sons and stabbed him, initiating an investigation. However, during the investigation, federal agents interviewed Mohammad and his statement about his son was retracted.

When a reporter asked the father if he believed his son was a terrorist, he responded, “No. And the FBI, they know that.”  Apparently, according to an unknown official, the father misspoke out of anger two years ago.

In addition to the call following the incident with Mohammad’s other son, #ABC News reports, Mohammad made another call when he was concerned “that his son was interacting with ‘bad people’ overseas and a concerned citizen in the neighborhood told authorities that Rahami’s associates may have been trying to procure explosives.”

According to the Associated Press, Mohammad said, “he meant that his son was hanging out with the wrong crowd, including gangs.”

The 28-year-old suspected bomber was arrested Monday morning after a shootout with Linden, New Jersey police officers. According to reports, he was later taken in and charged with five counts of attempted murder in connection with the shooting. In addition, he is believed to be responsible for the bombing in Seaside Park, New Jersey and the explosion in Manhattan that left 29 people injured.