US President Barack Obama has asked Americans not to succumb to fear after recent multiple attacks.
Speaking in New York City following explosions there and in New Jersey and a separate stabbing of several people at a mall in Minnesota over the weekend, the President pledged to keep fighting the so-called Islamic State terror group abroad and its ideology at home.
He said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the Minnesota attack as a ‘possible act of terror’, but said that authorities see no connection between it and the New York and New Jersey bombings.
The attacks did not kill anyone, but injured dozens.
“We are extremely fortunate and grateful that nobody was killed,” Obama said.
“At moments like this, I think it's important to remember what terrorists and violent extremists are trying to do. They are trying to hurt innocent people, but they are also trying to inspire fear in all of us. ... We all have a role to play as citizens in making sure we don't succumb to that fear,” Obama added.
The President noted that "neither individuals nor organisations like IS (Islamic State) can ultimately undermine our way of life," and this is exactly the "kind of strength that is going to be absolutely critical not just in the days to come but in the years to come."
"By showing those who want to do us harm that they will never beat us" will be "the most important ingredient in us defeating those who would carry our terrorist acts against us," he said.
While Obama was speaking, US authorities confirmed the detention of the suspect sought by police and the FBI for possibly detonating several explosive devices in New York and New Jersey.
He was identified as Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, an immigrant from Afghanistan with a US passport, who was captured by police after a shootout in the city of Linden, New Jersey.
New York police believed that Rahami is the man who appears in videos taken by security cameras on 23rd Street in the Chelsea neighbourhood of Lower Manhattan, where on Saturday a bomb exploded that injured almost 30 people on 27th Street, and where another device was found that did not detonate.
New Jersey authorities also believe that he might be linked to the bomb explosion early Saturday in the town of Seaside Park, New Jersey.
