NEW YORK—He bought bomb ingredients on eBay and recorded a mirthful video of himself igniting a blast in a backyard. In a handwritten journal, he warned that bombs would resound in the streets and prayed he'd be martyred rather than caught, authorities say.
Ahmad Khan Rahami’s jihad journal ended with a stark message, according to court papers:
“Death to your oppression.”
Federal court complaints filed Tuesday gave a chilling glimpse into what authorities say motivated the Afghan-born U.S. citizen to set off explosives last weekend in New York City and New Jersey, including a bomb that injured 31 people in Manhattan. The blasts came two years after the FBI looked into him but came up with nothing tying him to terrorism.
This frame from surveillance video released by the New Jersey State Police shows Ahmad Khan Rahami, in bombings that rocked the Chelsea neighborhood of New York on on Sept. 19, 2016. New Jersey State Police via AP
