Rahami was named as a suspect early on Monday morning in the United States, less than 36 hours after the explosion, triggering a massive manhunt across at least two states. The FBI released a poster for him and warned that he should be considered "armed and dangerous", while millions of residents across New York woke up to text messages on their phones from the New York Police Department warning them to look out for him.

Within a few hours, he was spotted - not on the run but sleeping in public. The owner of a bar in Linden, New Jersey, called police after spotting him sleeping in his hallway, according to the mayor of the town, Derek Armstead.

"One of our police officers went to investigate, to wake him up, and realised he was the suspect that has been sought," said Mr Armstead in a televised press conference.

"Within moments the suspect fired on him and thank god he [the police officer] had his vest on... I think that saved his life."

He was charged in Union County with five counts of attempted murder of a police officer. He was being held on $US5.2 million ($6.9 million) bail and remained at a hospital.

Federal charges in the bombings have yet to be filed.

Rahami is a 28-year-old American citizen who lived in Elizabeth, New Jersey and was born in Afghanistan. Law enforcement sources told CNN Rahami had travelled to Afghanistan a number of times.

The FBI and state police executed a search warrant at a business in Elizabeth called First American Fried Chicken, which is owned by Rahami's family. It is not confirmed whether he lived with them above the shop.

Suspect apprehended after gunfight

Linden police chief James Sarnicki said the officer who found Rahami had demanded the suspect put up his hands when he woke up.

"The suspect had his hand on the side... he pulled out a handgun and fired a shot at the officer, striking him in his bullet-proof vest in his abdomen."

The officer returned fire, Mr Sarnicki said, but the suspect got up and began walking away, allegedly firing his handgun indiscriminately as he walked away down the street.

"As some point our officers responded more, returned fire, and we were able to actually take him down."

A second officer was reportedly injured in the shootout by flying debris. Neither officer sustained injuries that are life-threatening. Rahami was also shot several times.

Footage from Linden showed Rahami lying on the ground in a suburban street, and then being taken on a gurney into an ambulance, surrounded by police. He was conscious in the footage but appeared to have a bloody wound on his right upper arm.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio confirmed the capture at a press conference several hours later. While he did not speak to a possible motive, he said the bombings were being considered an act of terror.

"We have every reason to believe this was an act of terror," he said.

The blast in Chelsea, which occurred about 8.30pm on Saturday, left 29 people injured, shattered glass and damaged cars, but thankfully did not cause any loss of life. The bomb had been placed either next to or inside a large dumpster, which appeared to absorb much of the impact.

The blast came on the same day as a pipe bomb exploded in a garbage bin in Seaside Park, New Jersey, on the route of a planned charity race. The start time of the race had been delayed and no one was injured.

At around 11pm on Saturday, a modified pressure cooker was also discovered Chelsea, four blocks from the location of the blast. It was removed by a police robot and rendered safe in police custody.

The following evening, a backpack was discovered near a train station in Elizabeth, New Jersey - Rahami's hometown - containing several explosive devices.

Men who opened bag 'saved lives'

The backpack containing the devices - including one pipe bomb - was discovered in a garbage bin by two men who may have been homeless, who opened it to see what was inside, the mayor of Elizabeth, Christian Bollwage, said in a press conference.

The men saw the devices and wiring and reported their discovery to the police, he said.

"Those two gentlemen who picked up that backpack did a great service to the community, telling the police very quickly and efficiently what was inside," he said.

He said the devices did not have timers on them, and the local police's suspicion was the bag had been hastily dumped in the bin by someone.

The mayor later said the men probably "saved hundreds of lives".

"They were walking with angels," he was quoted as saying on nj.com.

Police were dispatched to examine the devices. One bomb exploded when a police robot attempted to disarm it, damaging the robot. Police have not yet linked the backpack to the suspect but are exploring its connection to the other incidents.

No indication of terror cell

An investigation into Rahami's social networks and connections is still underway, authorities said, though no other individuals are being sought over the bombings. However, other sources said investigators believed there were other people involved.

"[There's] no indication that there is cell operating in the area or the city," William Sweeney, FBI special agent for New York said.

Mr Sweeney said there is no indication Rahami was on their "radar" for links to terror groups, though he had been reported to police over domestic violence in the past, he said. The domestic violence allegation was later recanted, he said.

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump seized on the arrest to attack his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton and suggested it showed some flaw in the "system" - though whether he meant the immigration or general law enforcement was not clear.

He then wrote in a Facebook post:

Hillary Clinton's weakness while she was Secretary of State, has emboldened terrorists all over the world to attack the...Posted by Donald J. Trump on  Monday, September 19, 2016

Speaking to the media before the arrest was made, Mrs Clinton said Mr Trump's rhetoric was being seized on by terrorists looking to create the impression of a war on Islam, as opposed to a war against jihadists or terrorists.

"We're going after the bad guys and we're going to get them, but we're not going to go after an entire religion," she said.