(CNN) – Just over four hours. That’s how long it took authorities to apprehend bombing suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami after he was publicly identified by the New York Police Department on Monday.
It was a whirlwind mission that started with a mugshot and ended in a shootout on the streets of Linden, New Jersey. Here’s a breakdown of those four hours:
The New York Police Department tweets a mugshot of Ahmad Khan Rahami and states he is wanted in connection to Saturday night’s explosion in New York.
New Yorkers receive an emergency alert asking for any information on Rahami’s wherabouts.
A search in Elizabeth, New Jersey is underway, and Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage tells CNN it is “definitely related to the Chelsea incident.”
The New Jersey State Police issues a release on Facebook stating Rahami is wanted for questioning in relation to Saturday morning’s Seaside Park explosion as well.
The New Jersey State Police says they believe Rahami is also connected to the pipe bombs found near an Elizabeth train station.
First reports that Rahami is in custody begin to surface. His capture is confirmed minutes later. Rahami was captured during a shootout with law enforcement in Linden, New Jersey. A witness told CNN Rahami looked “dazed” and was “down and out.”
Rahami was seen on a stretcher being loaded into an ambulance.
NJ BAR OWNER IDENTIFIED RAHAMI:
A bar owner in Linden, NJ. called police after he spotted bombing suspect Ahmad Rahami sleeping in the doorway of his establishment early Monday morning.
PRESIDENT OBAMA’S RESPONSE:
President Barack Obama sought to reassure Americans Monday following a series of suspected bombing incidents in New York and New Jersey over the weekend, and reaffirmed the US commitment to fighting the Islamic State.
“At moments like this, I think it’s important to remember what terrorists and violent extremists are trying to do: they want to hurt innocent people, but also inspire fear in all of us,” Obama said at a news conference in New York. “Even as we have to be vigilant and aggressive … we all have a role to play as citizens in make sure we don’t succumb to that fear.”
RAHAMI TRAVELED TO AFGHANISTAN:
Rahami traveled to Afghanistan multiple times in past years, according to law enforcement sources. One official told CNN Monday Rahami was questioned every time he entered the US, as is standard procedure, but was not on the radar for possible radicalization. Another official said Rahami traveled overseas a good bit, also visiting other countries not in the Middle East.
NYC’s ALARMING ALERT:
Officials sent out an emergency alert to the smartphones of those in the New York City area just before 8 a.m. on Monday. The message notified people about a man wanted in connection with the explosion that rocked Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood on Saturday night.
Anyone checking their smartphone saw the same message on the homescreen: “WANTED: Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28-year-old male. See media for pic. Call 9-1-1 if seen.”
The jarring alert appears to mark the first time that law enforcement officials have used this approach to notify New Yorkers about a wanted suspect on a mass scale, according to Eric Phillips, press secretary for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for more details.
The NYPD’s Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information said in an e-mail that it was “not NYPD” behind the emergency alert. Representatives for the FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Representatives from AT&T and Verizon said the alert was sent through the Wireless Emergency Alert system, which is used to send geographically targeted notifications to mobile phones about safety threats and abducted children.
“Pre-authorized national, state or local government authorities may send alerts regarding public safety emergencies, such as evacuation orders or shelter-in-place orders due to severe weather, a terrorist threat or chemical spill,” according to an explanation of the service on the Federal Communications Commission website.
The president can also issue alerts to citizens through the emergency system. While carriers may let subscribers block some emergency alerts, there is no option to block presidential alerts.
Those alerts are sent to “participating wireless carriers, which then push the alerts from cell towers to mobile devices in the affected area,” according to the website.
On Monday, the emergency alert was received by an untold number of people in the city, regardless of what carrier or phone they use, whether they signed up for alerts or even whether they have a New York City area code.
The notification jarred some out of bed and rattled others during a morning commute that was already shaping up to be a tough day back at work following the Chelsea explosion.
“On the subway, everyone’s phones went off simultaneously w/emergency alert about Ahmad Khan Rahami. Like something out of a dystopian movie,” a reporter for Business Insider tweeted.
On the night of the explosion, many received an emergency alert that warned: “Suspicious package: residents on W 27th b/t 6th and 7th Ave stay away from windows.”
However, that alert was purely for public safety and restricted to those in the immediate vicinity of the explosion, rather than residents throughout New York City.
While Monday’s alert was intended to help authorities conduct their investigation, some criticized it on social media.
“Great way to terrorize a bus full of schoolkids is having all their parents’ phones blare a scary alarm they can’t do anything about,” Anil Dash, an influential tech writer and entrepreneur, posted on Twitter.
“Is there evidence that low-information untargeted push notifications help with any kind of crime?” he added. “Seems they’re more optimized for panic.”
Three hours after the emergency alert, Rahami was said to be in policy custody.
“So do we get an all-clear alert on our phones now that Ahmad Rahami is in custody?” Philip Gourevich, a staff writer at The New Yorker, wrote on Twitter.
The answer so far appears to be no.
