NY suicide blast attempt fails
Close call at subway station after suspect’s bomb malfunctions
NEW YORk: An immigrant from Bangladesh detonated a homemade pipe bomb strapped to his body in a crowded New York subway passage during the morning rush hour, wounding three people and putting the city on edge just six weeks after a deadly truck attack.
Akayed Ullah, 27, told police investigators he wanted to avenge US airstrikes on the Islamic State (IS) group and was also inspired by Christmas terror plots in Europe – choosing the location for his attack by Christmas posters on the subway walls, US media reported.
But his bomb failed to detonate properly, leaving him the only one seriously harmed by the assault.
The blast took place on Monday in the subway station at the Port Authority bus terminal, not far from the city’s iconic Times Square, sparking commuter panic and travel disruptions.
A closed-circuit security video showed commuters scattering as the bomb exploded and one body – that of the bomber – on the ground after the smoke cleared.
Authorities attributed the minimal damage from the simple device attached to Ullah’s chest to a malfunction.
The explosion left him with sev-
eral burns to his torso and hands, and he was sent to hospital in “serious” condition.
The other three injured people suffered ringing in their ears, head- aches and other minor complaints, and there was no significant damage to the subway structure.
“Fortunately for us, the bomb partially detonated,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said. “It did not fully have the effect that he was hoping for.”
Cuomo said Ullah was not part of a “sophisticated network” but appeared to have been “influenced” by IS or other extremist groups.
The man’s family issued a statement through the Council on American-Islamic Relations-New York saying they were “heartbroken” by the attack and by the allegations against Ullah.
But they also said they were “outraged” by the behaviour of police investigators, who they said took a teenage relative out his high school class, questioning him without a lawyer present.
The attack came as the ChristmasNew Year holiday season moves into high gear, underscoring the possible threat that lone wolves inspired by IS or al-Qaeda pose to festive crowds. — AFP