Report: Letter Containing Arabic Writing Found With Second Explosive Device in NYC
In another new wrinkle, a hand-written letter, a portion of which is in Arabic, was found inside a plastic bag that held the second device, sources said.
Cops were interviewing two men who claim to have spotted a potential person of interest in the case, sources said.
The witnesses were dining at the Krush bar and grill on 32nd Street about a half-hour before the 8:30 p.m. Saturday explosion when they saw an Arab-looking man who was carrying a suitcase and appeared out of place, sources said.
Supposedly a 911 caller told an operator: “I’m looking at the explosion down the block. There will be more.”
Ding.
Patterico (bcf524) — 9/18/2016 @ 2:29 pmThe letter being written in Arabic suggests what about the writer?
At the very least if we had any controls over our borders, this person may have had difficulty posing as an American returning from a holiday in Mexico?
It also suggests that there is a decent infrastructure supporting these foreign warriors. The same sort of organization that was discovered after the fact for the 911 terrorists. Housing, food, and transportation are all problems that foreign warriors will need help with while planning and executing their attack.
BobStewartatHome (b41b89) — 9/18/2016 @ 2:41 pmHow in the world does ANYONE look out of place in mid-town Manhattan? Was he naked?
Kevin M (25bbee) — 9/18/2016 @ 2:51 pmThe letter being written in Arabic suggests what about the writer?
That the media will be discussing that instead of Maudie’s visibly declining health.
Did you see video of her on her campaign plane last night returning from the Black Caucus Dinner to NY? She literally looks terrible– especially around the eyes.
Project Squirrel accomplished.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 9/18/2016 @ 2:57 pmThose pressure cookers are always blowing up. One did that in Boston a couple of years ago.
Mike K (90dfdc) — 9/18/2016 @ 3:45 pmMy Aunt Mabel in Kansas City sometimes writes us letters in Arabic.
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 9/18/2016 @ 3:54 pmThere’s nothing to see here.
Tea party Arabic. Wait for it.
ras (dcc9bf) — 9/18/2016 @ 4:19 pmBut, but, but, this doesn’t mean arabs are terrorists. I mean anyone could have written that!
jim (016302) — 9/18/2016 @ 4:52 pmround zem up
mg (31009b) — 9/18/2016 @ 5:07 pmNow the first question is, is this report accurate? The second question is, if this is related, why would the bomber make such a mistake so as to leave something personally connected with him with the bomb?
And what does the letter say? Who is it addressed to? His intended victims? How is it going to be read if the bomb explodes? Or was this what – an unfinished bomb? An early draft of a letter, included with the bomb by mistake? What is this, the gang that couldn’t shoot straight?
This makes no sense. Maybe it will make sense if a few more facts are added. The New York Post says actually only part of the letter or note is written in Arabic. What part? A quote from the Koran?
Sammy Finkelman (dec35d) — 9/18/2016 @ 5:12 pmMeanwhile, someoe in North Carolina claimed responsibility, but is lying:
http://pix11.com/2016/09/18/read-the-entire-manifesto-by-person-claiming-responsibility-for-chelsea-explosion-im-the-ny-bomber/
Sammy Finkelman (dec35d) — 9/18/2016 @ 5:13 pmhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3795578/Mysterious-male-911-caller-threatened-explosions-immediately-Manhattan-blast.html
So now we hear someone called 911 immediately after the bomb blast and said there would be more.
Two people say – maybe – that a half hour before the blast they saw an Arabic looking man carrying a suitcase whom they thought looked out of place at a bar and grill at 32nd St. Or maybe he was on 23rd St.
The handwritten note – what – a shopping list? A sales slip?? – was said to be found inside the same plastic bag that also contained the undetonated device found on 27 St.
Sammy Finkelman (dec35d) — 9/18/2016 @ 5:25 pmwhy would the bomber make such a mistake so as to leave something personally connected with him with the bomb?
1. He’s stupid.
2. He thought it would be blown up.
3. Both.
Mike K (90dfdc) — 9/18/2016 @ 6:12 pm7. Justin Amash?
urbanleftbehind (847a06) — 9/18/2016 @ 6:14 pmI’m confident that the words written in Arabic have nothing to do with Islam, just as confidently
Steve57 (0b1dac) — 9/18/2016 @ 7:02 pmas I can state that praying five times a day has nothing to do with Islam.
There was also a terror attack today at the Mall of America that involved Allah and claims by ISIS.
DRJ (15874d) — 9/18/2016 @ 7:21 pmActually, that was yesterdsy.
DRJ (15874d) — 9/18/2016 @ 7:22 pmIs this thing on?
A poll taken of 625 registered Minnesota voters ending on September 14 found that Hillary’s one-time 13-point lead in the deep blue state has been slashed to 6 points, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Clinton now leads Trump 44 to 38 percent. But only a few months ago that spread was at 48 percent for Clinton to Trump’s 35 percent.
While the state’s big cities favor Clinton 58 percent to Trump’s 28 percent, it is the outlying areas and suburbs where the GOP nominee is gaining.
In the suburban areas, for instance, Trump leads Clinton 41 to 37 percent while, in the rural sectors of the North Star State, Trump tops Clinton by a more lopsided 44 to 28 percent.
In addition, independents are choosing Trump over Clinton by a wide margin with 42 percent going for Trump and 32 percent for Clinton.
The poll also found that fully ten percent of respondents are still undecided.
DNF (755a85) — 9/18/2016 @ 7:30 pmReuter’s Electoral College poll now has the race even.
DNF (755a85) — 9/18/2016 @ 7:31 pmthe link left out of most accounts in nice, last july,
http://m.state.gov/md262006.htm
narciso (d1f714) — 9/18/2016 @ 7:34 pm18. I neglected to mention, the Star-Trib poll was completed Sept. 14. Expect last night to concentrate a few minds.
DNF (755a85) — 9/18/2016 @ 7:36 pm16. I think the MOA event to which you refer was an Eid (whatever) flash mob terrorizing shoppers, evidently a tradition now at the MOA. Ten 12-15 year olds were detained.
DNF (755a85) — 9/18/2016 @ 7:42 pm16. My bud the Lieutenant is in the photog on the left.
DNF (755a85) — 9/18/2016 @ 7:45 pmno, that was the venture by effendi uddin, likely the first of many such attempts, the model is the westgate attack in nairobi some years ago,
narciso (d1f714) — 9/18/2016 @ 7:46 pm#10 Sammy,
Why do you assume that a terrorist wouldn’t leave behind evidence, just as many criminals do?
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 9/18/2016 @ 7:50 pmso did they vet him as readily as g4s did mateen and for the same reason?
narciso (d1f714) — 9/18/2016 @ 8:07 pmjudges what do we conclude,
http://www.youngcons.com/29-injured-in-ny-bombing-presidential-candidate-gary-johnson-thankful-nobody-got-hurt/
narciso (d1f714) — 9/18/2016 @ 8:21 pm27. St. Cloud is the liberal bastion of the most conservative district in MN. SCSU has chosen to be the MNSCU green card provider but overall is in serious decline, enrollement down 12.5% over the last couple.
The Muslim students are here hoping to stay on and consider paying fees as earning a degree. Cheating is rampant. Status as a junior likely means 5th year. Many high school kids locally are juniors after year one with all the advanced placement classes.
The problem at SCSU is getting out, getting your senior classes, so locals go elsewhere. Much of the Somali community is housed in student housing to the south of the U with a mosque on its north. This kid was bussed to Apollo miles away. The Feds stood on the HS admins neck for a year in 2014 at the instigation of the Somali students and parents.
Apart from the U they have outworn the welcome, but most employers, authorities and neighbors are just living to let live.
DNF (ffe548) — 9/18/2016 @ 8:32 pm29. Tabula rasa.
DNF (ffe548) — 9/18/2016 @ 8:34 pmI understand he meant no fatalities, but the thc got in the way,
https://twitter.com/MylesMill/status/777697195864707072I
could this be part of the cell,
narciso (d1f714) — 9/18/2016 @ 8:35 pmclearly we are dealing with enemy action,
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3795654/Old-fashioned-flip-phones-five-explosive-devices-used-Saturday-related.html
narciso (d1f714) — 9/18/2016 @ 8:37 pmHer unsteady, careful gait when she turned around and walked back was remarkable.
Denver Guy (4750ec) — 9/18/2016 @ 8:39 pmSeveral Jihadis were. Muslims should be denied access to this job classification.
Denver Guy (4750ec) — 9/18/2016 @ 8:40 pmthat link had to do with this,
http://abc7ny.com/news/multiple-people-taken-into-custody-in-connection-with-chelsea-explosion/1517053/
narciso (d1f714) — 9/18/2016 @ 8:46 pmSammy is incapable of reading between the lines. But why would you, CS, consider this to be the act of a “criminal” and not a jihadi? The latter is not trying to escape. His duty is to kill and terrorize. Leaving threats and a manifesto are part of the MO.
BobStewartatHome (a52abe) — 9/18/2016 @ 8:47 pmOh my! CS, my apologies. I was responding to the “criminalization” of terror, and misread your comment. Sorry.
BobStewartatHome (a52abe) — 9/18/2016 @ 8:49 pm37. The NYC/Jersey bombs give one the feeling of a trial run. Hiding the bombs reduced their effectiveness but made the disposal easier. No attempt at martyrdom.
The fact that they mostly didn’t work implies the Arabic note is authentic.
DNF (ffe548) — 9/18/2016 @ 8:58 pmthat’s probably it, although they are probably like the folks in shop class, that lost some finger tips, you don’t always get the valedictorians, in this crew,
narciso (d1f714) — 9/18/2016 @ 9:02 pmThe ceasefire agreement now in jeopardy. Unexpectedly!
DNF (ffe548) — 9/18/2016 @ 9:05 pmI think it would be safer for all involved that they discontinue the ceasefire, that’s only partially tongue in cheek
narciso (d1f714) — 9/18/2016 @ 9:09 pmTurn that frown upside down.
DNF (ffe548) — 9/18/2016 @ 9:10 pmthat thin line between clever and stupid, which they manage to cross,
http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/donald-trump-emmys-2016-jill-soloway-hitler-1201864419/#article-comments
narciso (d1f714) — 9/18/2016 @ 9:18 pm@22 DNF
Beware the Eids of September.
But seriously bro, Eid was last Monday.
Pinandpuller (538b5d) — 9/18/2016 @ 9:26 pmHas someone started the “we are being lied to” stopwatch?
Steve57 (0b1dac) — 9/18/2016 @ 9:32 pmthe braintrust back in raqqua must be racking their brains, how do we get them to take us seriously,
narciso (d1f714) — 9/18/2016 @ 9:39 pmIt could be, narcisom, we take ourselves seriously.
Steve57 (0b1dac) — 9/18/2016 @ 9:48 pmnarciso, I can’t explain the extra key stroke
Steve57 (0b1dac) — 9/18/2016 @ 9:51 pmIf the answer to gun violence is less guns why is the answer to Muslim violence more Muslims?
Pinandpuller (538b5d) — 9/18/2016 @ 10:04 pmBe safe, Gary. I called my relatives in Cross Lake and everyone is fine. LLFB.
mg (31009b) — 9/18/2016 @ 10:41 pmWell I got a terror alert on my phone about the terrorist.
Immigrant from Afghanistan that’s been here for a number of years. About time to limit immigration, wouldn’t you say?
njrob (1ed379) — 9/19/2016 @ 5:14 am#52
#50
We need to increase muslim immigration to prove we are not bigots. Easiest way to prove we are not the bigots progressives believe us to be is to import a culture that wants to kill us.
joe (debac0) — 9/19/2016 @ 5:22 amWhy write the note partially in Arabic? I think we should wait before jumping to conclusions here.
Sean (236e4c) — 9/19/2016 @ 5:25 amthat’s exactly what stinkypig says Mr. Sean that we need to wait until the cnn propaganda sluts have a suitable narrative crafted
it tells you a lot about what kind of president the pig would be i think
happyfeet (28a91b) — 9/19/2016 @ 5:30 amBy the way, another satisfying shave with the all-steel safety razor.
I just ordered one or the sample packs from West Coast Shaving.
http://www.westcoastshaving.com/Sample-Packs_c_1.html
Steve57 (0b1dac) — 9/19/2016 @ 6:03 amOh, let’s not. We’ll be ahead of the curve, for once.
Steve57 (0b1dac) — 9/19/2016 @ 6:05 amSean,
you mean like the media berating Trump for saying “bomb” even though it was a bomb.
NJRob (a07d2e) — 9/19/2016 @ 6:06 amSean, interesting point. Maybe he’s trying to make Arabish a thing. If the perp has so much as has a passive affinity for anything “conservative”, the media will annoint him as a false flagger.
urbanleftbehind (0d0bd0) — 9/19/2016 @ 6:13 amJust saying we often point out that the media likes to jump to conclusions with regards to mass shootings, so why are we okay with doing the same in this instance? What harm comes in waiting until the facts are known? Of course, as I type this the FBI and NYPD are looking for Ahmad Khan Rahami in connection with the bombs, so I guess in this case y’all were right to jump to conclusions. And as far as Trump’s declaration of a bomb and the media jumping on him, I agree it’s laughable when the same group that makes a living at jumping to conclusions berates someone outside of their club for doing the same (and I’m not so sure Trump wasn’t relating what he was told since he obviously has a lot of NY connections).
Sean (41ed1e) — 9/19/2016 @ 6:57 amJust because letters in Arabic were found, and assailants were yelling Allah! does not mean that we should somehow jump to any conclusions that this was in any way connected to Islam! I mean, that would be Islamophobic, don’t you know?
The very liberal Dana (f6a568) — 9/19/2016 @ 7:04 ambecause arabic is the root language of the hadith, the sunna and the koran, even though he may speak urdu or pashto, like matteen,
narciso (d1f714) — 9/19/2016 @ 7:19 am“Our next president will either be an offensive, rich, divisive bigot with a bad haircut, or Donald Trump.”
Colonel Haiku (e0ff3c) — 9/19/2016 @ 7:21 am#60 Sean,
Oh, please.
A bomb went off. That’s by definition a terrorist act, regardless of whether the suspect has yet been ID’d.
If a bomb went off outside an abortion clinic, nobody would be questioning whether or not it was intended as an act of terrorism.
Cruz Supporter (102c9a) — 9/19/2016 @ 7:34 amCruz Supporter (102c9a) — 9/19/2016 @ 7:34 am
Some people have adefiition of terrorism, as meaning to terrorize people for political purposes, by which I think even a lot of Islamic terrorism might not be terrorism, because maybe taht’s not the precise purpose..
They have the idea that if this was an act of private revenge, it is not terrorism.
Police meanwhile are wondrering also why was this bomb not placed in Times Square. 23rd Street? That’s nto even Herald Square.
Obviously this guy wanted his bomb to stay hidden till he was ready to explode it. So he his it under a dumpster, which also absorbed most of the ball bearings I assume..
And the other one, what – he dropped??
Sammy Finkelman (dec35d) — 9/19/2016 @ 7:51 amUpdate:
You know why the bomb was left there in the street like that?
It was stolen by a two thieves!
Now the question is, is this story true? It sounds like it is based on security video.
https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160919/chelsea/thieves-helped-crack-chelsea-bombing-case-sources-say
I will go further. Ahmad Khan Rahami didn’t intend to leave his bomb on 27th St. He just put down the suitcase while he figured out where to go next maybe. While his back was turned, the suitcase containing the bomb was stolen, maybe before it had a chance to be armed, and with the incriminating letter or note still inside the plastic bag that contained the bomb.
The thieves kept the suitcase but threw away the bomb.
Of course another way of looking at this, is that maybe it was some kind of investigators who stole the bomb, which maybe was already disabled. But, if so, why did they not get the other bomb, and who were they??
This sounds like something Donald E. Westlake might write.
Sammy Finkelman (dec35d) — 9/19/2016 @ 1:19 pmCNN version of this story:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/19/us/new-york-explosion-investigation/
Sammy Finkelman (dec35d) — 9/19/2016 @ 1:36 pm