NY Bomber’s Notebook: Laudatory Reference To Laden, Prayer To Allah To Not Rob Him Of Jihad

Federal prosecutors have filed four charges against Ahmad Khan Rahami, who is suspected in the recent New York City bombing that left 29 injured.

Blood soaked notebook recovered from Rahami contains laudatory references to Al-Qaeda ideologue Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-Yemeni who was a pivotal figure in shaping Global Jihadi movement. He was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen in 2011.

“You (USA government) continue your..….slaught against…..mujahideen be it Afghanistan, Iraq, Sham (Syria), Palestine… etc,” Rahami writes. He refers to Osama bin Laden as “brother” who “offered you a truce.”

Rahami had the notebook in his possession when police engaged him in a shootout. Due to bullet piercing through it, many words on most of the pages are intelligible.

“You should of let us meet death overseas (sic). You wanted it this way so you will have it this way,” he adds.

The notebook also tells us how Rahami got radicalised, not least because he made frequent visits to Pakistan. He writes that he looked for guidance and “Alhumdulilah Guidance came.”

Why did he decide to plant bombs in New York instead of going to Syria? In the book, there is a reference to the instructions of terrorist leaders that if travel is infeasible to attack non-believers where they live. He writes. “Sheikh Anwar....said it clearly attack the kuffar [non-believers] in their backyard.”

Apart from Anwar al-Awlaki and Laden, there are laudatory references to Nidal Hasan too, who shot and killed 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas.

One entry in the notebook seems to be from after he planted the bomb. He was concerned at the prospect of being caught alive. “The FBI & homeland security looking for me...my heart I pray to the beautiful wise Allah. To not take JIHAD away from me. I beg....for shahadat [martyrdom] & Inshallah [god willing] this call will be answered.” Probably this is the reason he tried to engage the police in a gunbattle by firing shots at officers when they found him.

According to the FBI report, the handwritten document closes as follows: “Inshallah the sounds of the bombs will be heard in the streets. Gun shots to your police. Death to your OPPRESSION.”