Ahmad Khan Rahami allegedly conducted dry run of bombings, bought equipment online

Police officers in New Jersey following a shootout with Ahmad Khan Rahami.
(Image credit: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images)

On Tuesday, U.S. prosecutors charged Ahmad Khan Rahami, the 28-year-old New Jersey man suspected of being behind bombings in New York and New Jersey on Saturday, with four counts, including use of weapons of mass destruction and bombing a place of public use.

The criminal complaint says Rahami conducted a dry run of the bombings and was inspired by al Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Anwar al-Awlaki, writing in a journal that he wanted to "kill" unbelievers, The New York Times reports. The notebook, found on Rahami after he was captured Monday, also reportedly included entries referencing jihad, pipe bombs, pressure cookers, and shooting police officers. The complaint says Rahami purchased equipment for the bombings from eBay, and filmed himself igniting an explosive device in the backyard of his home.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.