A Sikh bar owner in the US is being hailed as a hero for helping capture the 28-year old Afghan-American wanted for the weekend bombings in New York and New Jersey.
Harinder Bains, the owner of a bar in Linden found Ahmad Khan Rahami sleeping in the doorway of his bar on Monday.
"I was watching CNN news, and (Rahami's) photo was on the side of the screen," Bains said. "This guy looks like so much like the photo I saw on the news," Bains said he thought to himself.
Bains pondered what to do next for about 15 to 20 minutes, he said. Bains then ran it by a friend in the store, who also thought the man sleeping outside of the bar looked like Rahami. But then he recognised Rahami and called police.
“I’m just a regular citizen doing what every citizen should do. Cops are the real heroes, law enforcement are the real heroes,” Bains said.
When officers responded, Rahami pulled out a handgun and opened fire, striking an officer in the chest.
A foot chase ensued, during which Rahami shot at a police car, causing a bullet to graze another office in the face.
The chase ended when Rahami was shot multiple times.
He was taken to a hospital for surgery. Rahami was not initially cooperative with police who tried to interview him, a law enforcement official said.
Indian-American attorney Ravi Batra told PTI that Bains “dared to honour his Oath of Citizenship to protect & defend the Constitution from enemies foreign and domestic -and it’s turns out that the Chelsea Pressure Cooker Bomber suspect, a naturalised citizen, is caught by another immigrant, an Indian-American Hero-Sikh.”
"A Sikh helps police get to the terrorist involved in New York and New Jersey bombing over the weekend,” it said.
“He heroically helped save many innocent lives and yet gave credit to law enforcement officers. Harinder Bains certainly did what every responsible citizen in America ought to do. Brave and courageous act!” said the National Sikh Campaign.
PTI inputs
