A relative of Ahmad Khan Rahami, the suspect in the New York and New Jersey bombings, appears to have made social media postings trying to distance Islam from terrorism.
On the Facebook page for First American Fried Chicken, the store owned and occupied by the Rahami family, an individual with the same surname as Ahmad checked in and claimed the location is his “first Home” when asked if he lived there:
According to court documents, Ahmad has two family members named Mohammad.
Mohammad’s since-removed Facebook page included him sharing posts asserting that 9/11 was a government conspiracy, attacking “Zionist pigs” for their actions in Israel, and claiming people cannot criticize Islam for terrorism unless they have studied Islam.
In 2014, Mohammad shared a video titled, “9/11 A Conspiracy Theory”:
The approximately 5-minute video implies Osama Bin Laden was unable to plan the 9/11 attack because he was on dialysis and living in a cage. The video also claims the terrorists could not have been “religious fundamentalists” because they drank alcohol, did drugs, and lived with women. Instead, it accuses the government of covering up what’s allegedly the truth “because ignorance is strength.”
Throughout his Facebook page, Mohammad shared various posts that attacked Israelis for being “Zionist pigs” for their counter-terrorism actions (warning: graphic images):
In early 2013, Mohammad shared a quote from Dr. Zakir Naik, reading, “If you didn’t study Islam, please don’t say anything about Islam”:
Shortly after the marathon Boston bombing, Mohammad responded by saying he “knew they would blame this s**t on Muslims” - even though the Tsarnaev brothers were, in fact, Muslims:
While allegedly experiencing a bomb blast while on vacation, Mohammad joked that what he experienced was “just a bomb blast lol” and that it “makes the Boston bombing a joke.” He said, “innocent lives are taken for no reason corrupt government”:
Vocativ reports Mohammad also posted images sympathetic to terrorism on his Facebook page.
The Daily Beast claims Mohammad posted a photo with Ahmad on Facebook in 2013.
As of Sept. 21, Mohammad’s Facebook page is no longer available on Facebook.