The father of Ahmad Khan Rahami, who is accused of planting bombs in New York and New Jersey over the weekend, told reporters Tuesday that he twice called federal authorities about his son.
"I called the FBI two years ago," said Mohammad Rahami, the father of bombing suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami, speaking outside the family's restaurant in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
According to NJ.com, Mohammad Rahami told reporters that he called the FBI twice.
He did not elaborate on why he made the calls. However, ABC News reported that Mohammad Rahami was concerned "that his son was interacting with 'bad people' overseas and a concerned citizen in the neighborhood told authorities that Rahami's associates may have been trying to procure explosives."
A reporter on Tuesday asked Mohammad Rahami where he believes his son is a terrorist.
"No," Mohammad Rahami answered. "And the FBI, they know that."
Federal agents opened an investigation into Ahmad Khan Rahami in 2014 after they received a call from Mohammad Rahami, two unidentified senior law enforcement officials told The New York Times.
Mohammad Rahami made a statement about his son being a terrorist to New Jersey police in 2014, according to The Times, after Ahmad Khan Rahami was arrested and accused of stabbing his brother.
The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force opened an investigation into the report. Mohammad Rahami later recanted.
"An official, when asked about the inquiry, said the father made the comment out of anger at his son," The Times reported.
The Associated Press reported that Mohammad Rahami "said he meant that his son was hanging out with the wrong crowd, including gangs."
Police arrested Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, on Monday morning after a shootout with police in Linden, New Jersey. Ahmad Khan Rahami and at least two Linden police officers were injured. He was later charged with five counts of attempted murder in connection with the shooting.
Authorities believe that Ahmad Khan Rahami is responsible for multiple bombs placed in New York and New Jersey over the weekend. He has been linked to an explosion reported Saturday morning in Seaside Park, New Jersey and a second blast that injured 29 people in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood.
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