CHARLESTON, S.C. — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham says the suspect charged in the New York and New Jersey bombings should be held as an enemy combatant.
The South Carolina Republican issued a statement Monday saying that keeping Ahmad Khan Rahami in custody as a combatant would allow officials to gather more intelligence and determine whether he has ties to terrorist groups.
Graham says possible terrorist ties should be the government's focus, not a domestic trial that could take years to complete.
This undated photo provided by the FBI shows Ahmad Khan Rahami. The New York Police Department said it is looking for Rahami for questioning in the New York City explosion that happened Sept. 17.
Photo Credit: FBI via AP
Being held as an enemy combatant would mean that Rahami would not have the right to remain silent and would deprive him of a right to an attorney.
Rahami, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was taken into custody after a shootout with police in Linden, New Jersey.
A law enforcement official says fingerprints and surveillance video helped investigators identify him as the man suspected of setting off bombs in the New York area over the weekend. The official says he's seen in surveillance footage "clear as day" at the scene of the Saturday night bombing in Manhattan.
