An Indian-origin bar owner Harinder Bains has been hailed as a hero by American media after he helped catch New York bombing suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami.
Rahami, the man accused in the weekend bombings in US, which wounded 29 people, was sleeping in the doorway of Bains’s bar in New Jersey around 9 am on Monday with his hoodie pulled over his head.
Mr Bains told CNN that he thought it was "some drunk guy" but when he woke him, he recognized him as the man whose face had been flashed across television screens as the bombing suspect.
Bains was glued to television news after the attacks and promptly recognised Rahami as the suspect.
Bains then walked to his other store across the street and called the police.
“The police arrived in five minutes. All that while, I kept telling myself that he is the guy, he is the guy,” Bains told CNN.
Bar owner who spotted NY & NJ bombings suspect speaks out: It "shocked me" https://t.co/oZz0jUmo8i https://t.co/jQ1RcgnBeN — CNN (@CNN) September 20, 2016
When the police arrived, Rahami pulled out a gun and started firing.
During the shootout, Rahami shot a policeman in chest and the chase finally ended after policeman shot Rahami multiple times. He was handcuffed and taken away on a stretcher.
Mr. Bains has been hailed as a hero by American media after his tip-off helped police capture NY bombing suspect.
FBI, police and investigators and NYC terror Suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami shot on Elizabeth Ave Source: AAP
To CNN, Mr. Bains said, "I'm just a regular citizen doing what every citizen should do. Cops are the real heroes, law enforcement are the real heroes."
Bar owner who spotted bombings suspect: "I'm not a hero. I'm just a regular citizen. ... Cops are the real heroes" https://t.co/tIO5FHBTFR — CNN (@CNN) September 20, 2016
Rahami has been charged with five counts of attempted murder, reports the prosecutor's office.
