Federal authorities would like to talk to two “witnesses” they say removed an explosive device from a suitcase in Chelsea and then walked away with the luggage.
In a flier being circulated by the FBI, agents ask that tipsters call the FBI if they have any information about who the men are or their whereabout.
“The FBI is asking for the public’s assistance in locating these two unknown individuals. Closed circuit television recordings indicate that these individuals allegedly located a piece of luggage on the sidewalk, removed an improvised explosive device from the luggage, and then left the vicinity leaving the device behind but taking the luggage,” the flier read.
According to ABC News, NYPD chief of counterterrorism James Waters said the individuals were being sought as “witnesses” and “were not in danger of being arrested.”
Authorities said Monday after alleged Chelsea bomber Ahmad Khan Rahami‘ was apprehended that they were not looking for additional suspects in connection with the series of bombings that gripped New York and New Jersey over the weekend.
New Yorkers: “Hey! this is really nice luggage! Don’t need the bomb, though…” < tosses bomb/>
I’m confused about how the police came to learn about these two guys in the first place. I thought they were both interviewed and that’s how the police initially got the information about the luggage and those pipe bombs. So what’s the story there? Did they or didn’t they interview them and get their names and addresses or were they just on surveillance video somewhere? Again, how did they come on the FBI’s radar in the first place?
These two guy supposedly removed the luggage and left the pressure cooker bomb in NY- the one that didn’t explode. Two different guys found a backpack with pipebombs in Elizabeth, NJ. Those guys thought the backpack might contain something of value, but when they saw the pipe and wires, they immediately contacted law enforcement.
ETA: I suspect they found out about them from the various videos people submitted after the police asked people to submit any videos taken in the area.
From the security video footage.
I think you’re confusing these two guys - who found the bomb in the suitcase in Manhattan and didn’t tell anyone but took the suitcase - with the two guys who found the bomb in the backpack in Elizabeth, NJ and called the authorities.