The hunt is on for Ahmad Khan Rahami, the man allegedly responsible for at least three homemade bombs placed in New York and New Jersey over the weekend. Only one of those bombs, in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, actually detonated, though — and pedestrians have thieves to thank for potentially saving many lives.
On Sunday night, two thieves stole a backpack sitting on top of a trash can at a commuter train station in Elizabeth, New Jersey. When the pair opened the bag to see their loot, they were stunned to find five explosives inside. The thieves dropped the bag in the middle of the street and ran to call police.
It wasn't even the first time thieves thwarted the bomber's schemes. On Saturday, before the bomb detonated on West 23rd Street in Chelsea, two thieves disabled a pressure cooker in a suitcase on West 27th Street — likely completely on accident:
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The young men, who sources described as being well-dressed, opened the bag and took the bomb out, sources said, before placing the explosive into a garbage bag and walking away with the rolling suitcase.In doing so, investigators believe they inadvertently disabled the explosive, sources said. That allowed investigators to examine the cellphone attached to the bomb intact and discover that it was connected to the family of Rahami. [DNAInfo]
"Who in this world finds a pressure cooker with a phone and just takes the bag?" a law enforcement source marveled to DNAInfo. Regardless, whoever you are — thank you.
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
