Bangladeshi arrested after blast in New York subway

The suspected bomber seriously injured yesterday in an explosion inside a New York subway was a Bangladeshi immigrant, the United States Homeland Security Department said.

Akayed Ullah, 27, a resident of the city’s Brooklyn borough, was arrested and hospitalised after yesterday’s blast inside a subway corridor, New York police said. He was the only person seriously injured.

Federal authorities said Ullah is a lawful permanent resident admitted in 2011 under a family-sponsored visa category suggesting he was the nephew of a US citizen, a Homeland Security spokesman said.

Mayor Bill de Blasio called the incident “incredibly unsettling” due to the centrality of the subway to life in New York.

“This was an attempted terrorist attack,” he said. “Thank God the perpetrator did not achieve his ultimate goals.”

The blast hit the Port Authority station at 42nd Street and 8th Avenue in Manhattan. Several underground lines were cleared of passengers until police confirmed that the subway was secure.

The suspect, who officials said set off a homemade pipe bomb strapped to his body, appeared to have acted alone, de Blasio said.

Three people who were near the blast went to nearby hospitals complaining of ringing ears and headaches, Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said.

Ullah suffered lacerations and burns to his hands and abdomen, Nigro said.