Facts are still coming out about the New York and New Jersey bombings.
But from the information we do have, one thing is clear: the counterterror solutions
promoted by Trump and Clinton would not have helped prevent it.
Background
Two bombs exploded in New York City and New Jersey this past Saturday. No
one was killed in either incident though 29 people were injured in the New York
blast. Additionally, a series of similar explosive devices were found elsewhere
in New York and New Jersey, all of which failed to detonate as intended. You
can read more on the details of the bombings here.
The lead suspect in the case was taken into custody over the weekend after
a shootout with police. The suspect has been identified as Ahmad Khan Rahami,
a 28-year-old American citizen who was originally born in Afghanistan. He appears
to be the prime suspect in both the New Jersey and New York bombings.
It must be emphasized that facts in this story are rapidly changing. And while
the fact that Rahami shot at police suggests he was involved in some kind of
criminal behavior, it is not certain that he was responsible for all of
the bombings at this early stage. And obviously, even if the evidence against
him becomes overwhelming, he should be prosecuted in a fair trial like any other
suspected criminal.
Who is the suspect?
Disclaimer aside, the prevailing media narrative surrounding this story is
quite confident that Rahami is the perpetrator behind the attacks. And this
popular narrative of the weekend’s events is what the presidential candidates
are responding to. For this reason, it’s worth understanding more about the
lead suspect.
According to CNN,
Rahami immigrated to the US from Afghanistan when he was 7 years old in
1995. He became a formal US citizen in 2011.
He had reportedly visited Afghanistan and Pakistan multiple times in recent
years. His most recent trip was a one-year stint in Pakistan from April 2013
to March 2014. Rahami was questioned by the US government each time upon his
return as a standard procedure. They did not identify any warning signs of radicalization.
Rahami married a Pakistani woman in 2011, depending on the source. In 2014,
he attempted to petition for her to join him in the US, but ran into various
bureaucratic obstacles in the immigration process. It’s not clear whether his
petition for his wife was ever ultimately successful.
Rahami’s family owns a restaurant in New Jersey, near where some of the bombs
were found. The restaurant had filed a lawsuit against local officials alleging
that they were being discriminated against because they were Muslim. The lawsuit
was decided in favor of the city.
Trump’s Solutions
Donald Trump’s remarks on the attacks centered around two core themes:
- The need for “extreme
vetting” and more strict immigration controls - The need for