New York blast: Afghanistan-born suspect captured

After a shootout in New Jersey, during which he was wounded, police have arrested Ahmad Khan Rahami, suspected of planting a bomb that detonated in Manhatten on Saturday night injuring 29 people.

New York mayor Bill de Blasio and law enforcement officials say there is still no evidence of global terror ties. However, Mr Rahami's ethnicity (he is an Afghani who became a naturalised US citizen) and straight from central casting mugshot will be grist for Donald Trump's mill.

The 10.30am arrest came shortly after the police issued a cellphone alert to millions of residents in the area, telling them to be on the lookout for Mr Rahami (28)  who was described as “armed and dangerous.”

The suspect reportedly pulled a gun when approached. Two officers were injured during the gunfight.

It followed a local resident spotting Mr Rahami sleeping in the doorway of a bar.

Mr Rahami is also suspected of planting the second bomb in New Jersey, which detonated without injury. Both were pressure cookers using cellphones as triggers, officials say.

William Sweeney, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York division, says authorities have found “no indication that there is a [terror] cell operating in the area.”

But a member of Mr Trump's inner circle, New Jersey governor Chris Christie, was quick to use the T word, telling a public meeting that a non-fatal stabbing in Minnesota and the New York and New Jersey bombings were linked.

“Those who are radical, especially radical Islamic terrorists, need to be called out,” he says. “We don’t know what the motivation is for the past 48 hours, but I think we have a feeling for what it is.”

And on Fox News, Mr Trump said,  “I think this is something that will maybe get – will happen perhaps more and more all over the country. It’s a mess and it’s a shame, and we’re going to have to be very tough.”

Mr Trump also said he agreed with early reports of a possible foreign connection to the bombings, and argued the stricter immigration policies he has proposed would better protect the US from terror.

On Twitter, the Republican candidate took a blunter line.

Once again someone we were told is ok turns out to be a terrorist who wants to destroy our country & its people- how did he get thru system?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 19, 2016

Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton told reporters she will launch an “intelligence surge” to identify and thwart attacks before they are carried out.

At a "Commander-in-Chief" forum earlier this month, Mr Trump said if elected he would give US generals 30 days to come up with a plan to defeat ISIS, but stressed he also had his own plan, which he would not detail. It was possible elements of the two plans would be combined he said.