09/21/2016 - 12:20 PM
The wife of New York and New Jersey bombing suspect Ahmad Rahami was questioned by American investigators in the United Arab Emirates today as she sought to return from Pakistan to the U.S., federal officials told ABC News.
The FBI said Asia Bibi Rahimi -- an alternate spelling of her husband's surname -- voluntarily submitted to an interview. She had left the U.S. for Pakistan in June, one of the officials said, and by virtue of the actions of her husband she has now been flagged for possible terror ties.
UAE officials are also questioning Rahami's wife, according to the UAE Embassy in Washington, D.C.
The travel by the two women, along with the whereabouts of Ahmad Rahami's other relatives and associates, have been a source of continued interest to investigators, who are trying to determine whether the bombing suspect acted alone or had help.
Of keen interest, investigators told ABC News, is the period of time Ahmad Rahami spent overseas. From April 2013 to March 2014, the Afghan-born American traveled in and around Quetta, a Pakistani city near the Afghan border known as a home of extremism and a Taliban stronghold. The Taliban denied any link to Rahami.
During his time in the region, Ahmad Rahami married Asia Bibi and the two had a child together, law enforcement sources said. Upon his return, Ahmad Rahami lobbied for his wife to join him in New Jersey. In May 2014, she was granted entry with their baby, and because of their marital status, she was given the status of a U.S. Green Card holder.
Asia Rahami's travel comes after Ahmad Rahami's mother, Najiba, left the U.S. on Aug. 24 for Turkey, the federal sources said.
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