this is "nightline." >> tonight, after a dramatic shoot-out with police, the alleged serial bomber captured alive. just 48 hours after a string of bombs terrorized new york and new jersey. now authorities investigating. did he act alone? raiding his home and reportedly new details on the alleged terrorist and the bloody showdown with law enforcement. plus strutting their stuff. these transgender models have gone from hiding in the shadows to embracing the spotlight. >> we've always been here. and now you know. welcome. >> whoopi goldberg is on the front lines in the battle for trans acceptance. and cooking with curry.

is sizzling her way to stardom. >> i think i smell victory. >> robin roberts in the kitchen with seasoned chef turned social media sensation. first the "nightline 5." ? ? ? >> take on any road with intuitive all-wheel drive. the nissan rogue, morano and pathfinder. get 0% apr for 72 months plus $500 bonus cash.

tonight the alleged serial bomber is in fbi custody charged with teamed murder after a bloody shoot-out with police. investigators believe he coordinated three terror attacks using homemade bombs. we're now learning more details about how this young man, a u.s. citizen born in afghanistan, may have become radicalized. was he a lone wolf? here's abc's senior justice correspondent pierre thomas. >> reporter: it was midmorning as surve new york region's most wanted man, ahmed khan rahmanny, police in hot pursuit. >> a guy's shooting a gun, shots fired. >> reporter: it all ends with rahami wounded. you can see him in this photo lying on the ground. officers also injured in the gun battle. >> two linden police officers rrchted rahami. he did exchange gunfire.

bullet-proof vest. >> reporter: moments later rahami on a gurney, unconscious, after terrorizing the region in a string of bombings that gripped the new york metropolitan area. it began at 9:30 on a sunny saturday morning in seaside park, new jersey. runners gathering for a charity run for the marines. an explosion ripping apart this garbage can. the runners say because the race had been delayed. >> shut down the run, get them out of the boardwalk. >> reporter: sources together were to detonate at the start of the race. hours later in nearby new york city, another blast. shattering the joy of a saturday night. >> we heard a huge explosion, the ground shook, the windows shook. >> a big, black cloud of smoke -- >> reporter: surveillance videos like this one showing a man dropping something near the dumpster in the new york city neighborhood of chelsea. this time 29 people are injured.

because the bomb is placed under or near a dumpster which absorbs a bulk of the shrapnel. >> everybody get off the street! >> that dump city is pretty strong. the fact that it was able to contain the explosion and then when the explosion did go, because the top is not as hard as the sides, it actually went up as opposed to out. where it could have hurt a lot more people. it could have actually killed people in that area. >> reporter: three hours later, word a pressure cooker is found four blocks north. at first authorities don't think the incidents are related. then around 11:00 p.m., a major clue breaks the case wide open. an undetonated pressure cooker bomb like those used in the boston marathon bombings with deadly consequences. >> i walk right by here, there's a pot on the street with wires sticking out of it. and think that it's probably a kid's science experiment.

attached. the pressure cooker device is a treasure trove of information. >> the flip phone was used both for the first incident in new jersey, the second incident in chelsea. that's a clue that they were in fact connected. >> the authorities, fbi and nypd, were able to trace this phone very quickly. >> reporter: police are also able to lift a fingerprint from the pressure cooker. the cell phone leads police to rahami. a naturalized u.s. citizen born in afghanistan, rahami graduated from edison according to a friend was a young father. >> amhmad had a girlfriend who was pregnant, far along in her pregnancy at the prom. they ended up giving birth to a baby girl. >> reporter: he attended junior college for a year, then worked in his family's restaurant. first american fried chicken in elizabeth, new jersey. the restaurant became the source of conflict in the neighborhood. >> we had some code enforcement problems and noise complaints.

restaurant but rahami's family filed a lawsuit claiming discrimination because they're muslim. there were other problems. court records reviewed by abc news show rahami was accused of stabbing a relative in the leg two years ago. but a grand jury failed to indict him. u.s. officials tell abc news rahami traveled to afghanistan and pakistan, later telling authorities he had a wife in pakistan. >> if he has made frequent trips to afghanistan and fbi, are going to have to figure out who he visited and what was the real purpose of his trips. >> reporter: by sunday night, police are locking in on rahami as their primary suspect. five of rahami's family members are detained on a new york city bridge. police suspect they're headed to fly out of jfk airport, but later the family is released. then just after 8:30 sunday night, two men find a backpack near the train station in elizabeth.

as police attempt to disarm the bombs one of the robots cuts a line, causing this explosion. fear spreads across the new york region. tension is particularly high because the u.n. general assembly is in session and leaders from around the world are arriving. by now the bomb scare has made its way into presidential politics. >> just before i got off the plane, a bomb went off in new york. and nobody knows exactly what's going on. >> obviously we need to do everything we can >> reporter: early monday morning, police make the critical decision and release rahami's name and photo, sending this text to everyone in new york city. then police get a tip. >> approximately 10:30 this morning the owner of a bar in linden called about a suspicious person sleeping in the hallway of his establishment. >> reporter: it was the alert eyes of linden new jersey bar owner harry bains who made the

he -- it was my gut reaction. >> something told you to call police? >> yeah. >> reporter: then the confrontation began ending in that hail of gunfire. >> i think he had no plan. and realized he was in deep trouble. took off, was tired, found a hallway to sleep in. and it sort of goes to his unsophistication, i think. >> reporter: forces tell abc news rahami is not initially failing to even give his name. tonight they're searching his home. sources telling abc news police have found evidence of bomb-making. >> based on the information we have now, we have every reason to believe this was an act of terror. >> reporter: they say there's no evidence rahami is part of a terror cell but they are dissecting rahami's life online, they say to make sure he was acting alone. police hope they have their man, praying now that the threat is over. but taking no chances. for "nightline," i'm pierre

>> our thanks to pierre thomas for that report. up next, whoopi goldberg takes us inside the lives of transgender fashion models. later, robin roberts is in the kitchen with both chef currys. econds... and the acid reducer lasts up to 12 hours in one chewable tablet. try duo fusion. from the makers of zantac. hold onto your forks. endless shrimp is back at red lobster. that means you get to try as much as you want... ...of whatever flavors are calling your name. seriously. like new garlic sriracha-grilled shrimp. it's a little spice... ...a little sizzle... ...and a lot just right. and try new parmesan peppercorn shrimp. helloooo crispy goodness. and the classic... ...handcrafted shrimp scampi... ...you can't get enough of? still gonna floor you. it may be called endless...

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you're about to meet transgender fashion models who are just as unobtainably gorgeous as other fashion models but the skepticism they face is incomparable.

goldberg chronicles the trials and transitions. >> reporter: this is rob shulder's hip body and goatee. the smoldering good looks you want in a male model. a modeling dream for any guy. but laith is transgender and began transition at the age of 25. how old were you when you thought for the first time, i might not be in the right body? >> i was like 4 or 5 years it's funny when i say that. my mom thinks i'm lying. but recently she said, you know what? i remember when you were that age and we would try to give you dolls and all the girls' toys and you like didn't want any of them. >> reporter: nowadays he's landing covers, getting steady modeling gigs, including this issue of "attitude" magazine. >> what's it like pose iing nak? >> i've gotten more comfortable

because it's often what they make me do. it's hard because you know, especially when you're in tiny speedos or underwear, that's where people are going, they're going straight to what's going on there. >> reporter: now he's one of five models boldly breaking barriers on oxygen's new reality show "strut." >> a decade ago, we were hiding on the runways. but now it's a new age. >> reporter: where trans models strive to gain acceptance in the cutthroat fashion >> people are judging by every moment of every day. >> reporter: even as they're struggling emotionally with their own families. laith's family is dominican, traditionally machismo, deeply religious. >> i think my dad has taken my transition the easiest, which took me by surprise. >> reporter: his mother is having a hard time fully accepting who he is. >> be happy. don't think about what mommy

>> i like what i am. i hike what i see in the mirror now. i'm usually private and this is a private thing that's public, my relationship between myself and my mom. >> you're saying in many ways or every way you know she loves you. >> absolutely, there's no doubt in my mind. >> we're kind of fabulous. >> reporter: whoopi goldberg is the show's executive producer. laith's mom's argument is this is an abomination, if i celebrate it then i too am sinning. >> here's the question that i pose to a what do you think jesus would have done? because jesus hung out with a lot of interesting people. >> reporter: more than ever, transgender people are taking center stage in mainstream culture. >> this is our time. we've always been here. >> reporter: whether jazz jennings starring in her own reality show. >> i am a teenage girl. >> reporter: laverne cox hitting the red carpet for "orange is the new black."

enough. also at last night's emmys actor jeffrey tambor who plays moira on "transparent." >> cheers. a better day. >> reporter: putting out a call for hollywood to hire more trans gender actors. >> give transgender talent a chance. give them auditions. give them their story. >> reporter: like all good reality shows, "strut" has more than enough drama. >> how many times -- >> reporter: and glamor to keep you community, their world is not as glittery as what you see on tv. 1 in 5 trans gender people have been homeless at some point in their lives. and 41% have attempted suicide. compared to 2% of the general population. dominique jackson's been a model for 20 years. for her it's a painful reality she's lived firsthand. >> lived it. i have lived it. my attempts came. i think i attempted about 13

>> and someone said to me, they're like, you're not really trying to leave this earth. you just have to find you. >> reporter: she says she now finds herself mentoring young transgender models like laith. >> their time is precious and important. and as a model that's one of the disciplines you have to learn. >> most trans people do have a level of insecurity. because you have a world that's telling you that who you are is not right. >> reporter: "strut" at a time when transgender issues are part of our national dialogue. with north carolina's controversial law barring transgender people from using the bathroom they choose. >> where you stand on hb 2? >> i would be this trouble because i have to tell you, i have peed in many men's rooms. i have. no transgender person is going into the bathroom trying to mess with your kids. >> it's really about policing of women, women's bodies. because no one would ever come

whatever bathroom. you're making it so that a woman needs to look a certain way so they can enter a restroom. if anything, trans people are the ones that are being attacked or being assaulted. >> reporter: real-life issues that whoopi says they weren't afraid to tackle on the show. >> this is your opportunity to step up to the plate as a human being. this show gives you that opportunity. because the next time you run into somebody who is transgender, you'll be more respectful. >> reporter: as for laith, he says he's reached a place where what he sees on the outside reflects what he feels on the inside. >> when i look at myself in the mirror, i feel like myself. i feel complete. i feel like i'm an adult. for a long time before i just felt like a child that hadn't -- that couldn't grow up and having to hide. >> now you're truly a man? >> i am a man. i look like the man i always felt i was. >> and nothing beats being

up next for us, robin roberts gets a taste of the seasoned life with aiysha and steph curry. i'm claudine and i quit smoking with chantix. by the time i was 30, i said "that's it, i'm a smoker for life." i wanted to be a non-smoker and i did it thanks to chantix. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. my urge to smoke some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some had seizures while taking chantix. if you have any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse or of seizures. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you have these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have heart or blood vessel problems,

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finally tonight, maybe we cracked the code. perhaps the secret to steph curry's three-point shooting is the food he's getting at home. abc's robin roberts is cooking with the currys. >> reporter: on the court -- >> curry off a curl, that's a three! >> reporter: stephen curry is the reigning nba mvp. >> show how you ride, you ready? >> reporter: off the court he's just one part of a fearsome foursome. 7, wife ayesha, and their adorable little girls ryan and riley. today the currys have invited me into their home to sample some of ayesha's home cooking. >> so we are doing my spiced rub chicken with parsley mint sauce. it's definitely a household staple. >> is it a chef curry approved dish? >> it is. >> reporter: ayesha, a

building an empire posting recipes for her 4 million social media followers. she's published a new cookbook "the seasoned life." >> what's it like? she's got the book coming out. >> it's unbelievable. it's her passion. >> mm, mm! spicy mama! >> it's obvious your passion for food, for cooking. tell us where that stems from. >> it stems from family. growing up i just remember i feel like food gets people talking. it makes people feel things. that's why i love it so much. >> reporter: despite her hectic culinary schedule, ayesha attends most of her husband's home games. and she's known for being a passionate, outspoken fan. one of her live tweets landed her in hot water with fans after she called the nba rigged. >> you're very passionate. >> yeah. i'm in love with my husband.

>> reporter: food, family, and faith. ayesha curry's ingredients for living her best life. and the day would not be complete without a tour of riley's brand-new playhouse. >> is anybody home? >> hi! >> reporter: just a slice of life with the currys. for "nightline," i'm robin roberts in new york. >> literally and figuratively delicious. thanks for watching abc news. join us for "good morning amica" tomorrow. as always we're online at abcnews.com and our "nightline" facebook page.

the "insider!" tracking the biggest stories making news today. ? i've been around long enough to know -- >> in is very exciting. >> it can't get any hotter. >> i just want to blow up. >> number one. >> we're breaking the ice.