The NYPD’s counterterrorism chief said Thursday that investigators aren’t completely convinced Chelsea bomber Ahmad Rahami acted alone.
“The question is, could one person make that many devices, cover that amount of ground, do all that by themselves,” Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence John Miller said during an interview on “CBS This Morning.”
“It’s certainly possible, but it is equally possible that there may be others involved.”
Rahami is suspected of planting two pressure-cooker bombs in Manhattan, one of which exploded on West 23rd Street on Saturday, injuring 31 people. Another device that failed to detonate was discovered on West 27th Street.
It’s also believed he planted eight bombs in New Jersey — three near the route of a charity run in Seaside Park and five more near a train station in Elizabeth.
He was captured Monday following a shootout with police that left several officers wounded.
Miller said there was no evidence at this point to suggest Rahami was involved with a terror cell.
“Did he do this alone by taking a long time to prepare and then spending 48 hours to drive around and drop these bombs off? Did he have help making them?” Miller said.
“At this stage of the investigation, there is zero to indicate that. We are less than a week into this. You’ve got to pull the string, look at the evidence and see where it takes you.”
Miller repeated Wednesday’s announcement that investigators would like to speak with two men who were seen on surveillance video removing the 27th Street device from a rolling suitcase and walking off with the bag.
He insisted the men were not suspects.
“We need these two guys just to figure out who they are and how they encountered that bag … and … we want the bag,” he said.
“It may have evidence, it may have explosive residues, it may have other forensics and it’s very valuable.”