TerrorismSuspect held in NYC attempted terrorist attack
A 27-year old Bangladeshi immigrant who lived in Brooklyn was detained by the police Monday morning after detonating an explosive device in the New York City subway tunnel during the morning commute. The suspect, Akayed Ullah, was injured in the 7:20 a.m. attempted attack, as were three passers-by. The explosion occurred in a passageway near 42nd Street and 8th Avenue, in midtown Manhattan near Times Square. The injuries were not life-threatening.
A 27-year-old man was detained by the police Monday morning after detonating an explosive device in the New York City subway tunnel during the morning commute.
The suspect, Akayed Ullah, was injured in the 7:20 a.m. attempted attack, as were three passers-by. The explosion occurred in a passageway near 42nd Street and 8th Avenue, in midtown Manhattan near Times Square.
The injuries were not life-threatening. New York police commissioner James O’Neill said the suspect had “an improvised low-tech explosive device attached to his body.” Daniel Nigro, the fire department commissioner, said Ullah sustained burns to his hands and torso while the three other people suffered “ringing ears and headaches.”
“This was an attempted terrorist attack,” said New York City mayor Bill de Blasio.
Andrew Cuomo, New York governor New York, said an attack on the subway was “very frightening and disturbing” and “in many ways, one of our worst nightmares.”
“This is New York,” Cuomo said. “The reality is that we are a target by many who would like to make a statement against democracy, against freedom. We have the Statue of Liberty in our harbor. Anyone can go on the internet and download garbage and vileness, how to put together an amateur level explosive device, and that is the reality we live with.
“The counter reality is that this is New York and we all pitch together, and we are a savvy people and we keep our eyes open … and we have the best law enforcement in the globe.”
De Blasio said there were “no known additional incidents or activities” but said there would be an increased police presence in the city.
The Washington Post reports that the suspect, a Bangladeshi immigrant who lived in Brooklyn, was being treated at Bellevue hospital. Police said they had a video of the attempted attack. O’Neill said it was not known whether the suspect was tied to ISIS, but that the suspect “did make statements.”
The subway station where the blast happened is located below Port Authority bus terminal, which serves about 65 million passengers each year.
The Post notes that the explosion occurred less than two months after a man drove a truck into a bicycle lane on Manhattan’s west side, killing eight people. The suspect in that attack pleaded not guilty to 22 counts, including providing material support to the Islamic State group.
In September 2016, thirty people were injured when a bomb exploded behind a dumpster on West 23rd Street, in the Chelsea neighborhood. The suspect was found guilty this October, on eight charges.
