From Bombings to Explosive-Filled Backpacks: How It Unfolded
From a New Jersey beach town to Manhattan, the region was shaken.
— -- A weekend that began with an explosion along the route of a charity run in a New Jersey beach town ended Monday morning with the capture of a man in Linden, New Jersey, who is suspected of being linked to that first bombing and several other incidents involving explosives in the New York City area.
Here's how it happened:
9:35 a.m., Saturday, Seaside Park, New Jersey:
An explosion blew apart a garbage can along the route of a planned 5K charity race to benefit U.S. Marines and sailors that drew thousands of runners. If the start of the race had not been delayed because of a large number of participants, authorities said the blast would have gone off as the area was filled with runners. But the explosion occurred when few people were in the area, and no one was injured
The race was canceled after the blast, and authorities quickly determined that the explosion was more than a prank because of the sophistication of the device, which had multiple pipe bombs wired together, though only one went off. Police searched for clues to a motive. "We don't know what this individual's agenda is," the spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office told ABC News of the bomber.
8:30 p.m., Saturday, West 23rd Street, Manhattan:
A deafening explosion shook Manhattan's bustling Chelsea neighborhood on a late-summer night when many people were out and about. Police and fire department vehicles nearby responded quickly to the blast, which blew out windows and sent shrapnel flying. At least 29 people were injured. The explosion was quickly found to have occurred near or in a dumpster. Streets in the area were closed.
11:07 p.m., Saturday, West 27th Street, Manhattan:
The NYPD's special operations unit tweeted that a possible second explosive device was located a few blocks from the site of that evening's explosion, on 27th Street, between Sixth and Seventh avenues. Two former New York state troopers who responded to that blast found the unexploded device on a block-by-block search of the area. It was a pressure cooker in a white plastic bag with tape, with wiring and a cellphone.
Around 11:30 p.m., New York City:
Mayor Bill de Blasio held a late-night press conference on the explosion. As he sought to assure the public that there was "no credible threat" presenting more danger to the city, he also announced that the blast was "an intentional act" — eliminating notions that it could have been some kind of accident.
10 a.m., Sunday, New York City:
Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters that while there was no apparent link between the Chelsea explosion and the one in New Jersey or international terrorism, the blast was terrorism "generically" because it was meant to instill fear.
12 p.m., Sunday, New York City:De Blasio for the first time publicly used the word "bombing" to describe the Chelsea explosion. "There was a bombing," he said, adding that investigators were open to the possibility of a link to the New Jersey blast but had no evidence of a connection. In light of the bombing and the United Nations General Assembly in the city this week, he announced, "You will see a very substantial NYPD presence this week. Bigger than ever."
4 p.m., Sunday, New York City:Multiple law enforcement officials told ABC News that investigators were exploring the possibility of a link between the explosions in New York and New Jersey.
8:47 p.m., Elizabeth, New Jersey:Authorities in Elizabeth got a call about two men finding a suspicious backpack in a garbage can at a train station in Elizabeth. The men took it, thinking the backpack might contain something of value, and notified police when they saw wires and a pipe inside.
11:15 p.m., Sunday:Up to five people were in custody in connection with the New York City bombing, ABC News learned.
About 12 a.m., Sunday, Elizabeth:FBI agents surrounded a house in Elizabeth in connection with the explosive found in a backpack.
Late Sunday and early Monday travel delays:Amtrak suspended service along its route between New York and Trenton. A passenger who was riding a New Jersey Transit train from New York to Princeton Junction told ABC News that passengers were told to get out of the train in Newark as a result of an alert issued after the discovery of the bag.
Shortly before 8 a.m., Monday, New York City region:Authorities put out an alert that they are seeking a man in connection with the New York City bombing. Authorities later identified the suspect as Ahmad Rahami, a U.S. citizen of Afghan descent.
The FBI released a wanted poster for Rahami with his photo, saying he is "wanted for questioning" and is considered armed and dangerous. Authorities acknowledged publicly that they believe the bomb incidents in Seaside Park, Chelsea and Elizabeth are connected.
11:30 a.m., Monday, Linden, New JerseyRahami was taken into custody in Linden after an altercation with police.
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