NEW YORK (AP) – The father of the man suspected in the weekend bombings in New York and New Jersey called the FBI in 2014 to say his son was a terrorist but later retracted it, saying he meant the young man was hanging out with gangs and acting like a thug, a law enforcement official said Tuesday.
The father contacted the FBI after Ahmad Khan Rahami was charged with stabbing his brother, according to the official, who was not authorized to discuss the investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The official said that the FBI looked into the matter, but that the father, Mohammad Rahami, rescinded his comment and said he meant his son was hanging out with the wrong crowd.
The FBI reviewed its databases and found no credible connection to terrorism or threat to the U.S. from the son, the official said.
The information emerged as Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, was being held on $5.2 million bail, charged with five counts of attempted murder of police officers in the shootout that led to his capture Monday. Federal prosecutors said they were weighing charges over the bombings that wounded 29 people.