Ahmad Khan Rahami’s family sued city for anti-Muslim harassment

The family of the Afghan immigrant who was arrested Monday in connection with weekend bombings in New York and New Jersey sued the city of Elizabeth in 2011 for anti-Muslim discrimination.

Elizabeth Mayor Christian Bollwage said Ahmad Khan Rahami’s father, Mohammad Rahami, and two other family members sued the city after it passed an ordinance requiring their restaurant, First American Fried Chicken, to close at 10 p.m. because of complaints from neighbors that it was causing a disruption, The Associated Press reported.

According to the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Newark, the Rahami family said Elizabeth police officers repeatedly shut down their family restaurant and discriminated against them because of their religion, NJ.com reported.

Mr. Bollwage rejected the claims while speaking to reporters across the street from the First American restaurant.

“That had absolutely nothing to do with it,” the mayor said, Breitbart News reported. “It had nothing to do with race, religion or anything else.”

“There was lots of noise, it was open 24 hours, neighbors in this neighborhood complained,” he said. “The city of Elizabeth could not tolerate all of the hours they were open.”

Court papers showed that two members of the Rahami family were arrested during a 2009 confrontation with police, stemming from an officer issuing a summons for the restaurant being open late, NJ.com reported.

The suit is still active, but the family’s attorney recused herself last year, NJ.com reported.

Ahmad Khan Rahami, a 28-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen from Afghanistan, reportedly worked at First American Fried Chicken and lived with his family above the restaurant, which was raided by authorities early Monday. He was arrested after being wounded in a gunfight with police in Linden.

Police believe Mr. Rahami may be connected with a pipe bomb that exploded Saturday in Seaside Park and a pressure cooker bomb that exploded in Chelsea, injuring 29 people. Police believe he was also responsible for a backpack containing five pipe bombs found near a train station in Elizabeth late Sunday, The New York Times reported.