NEW YORK TERROR BOMB SUSPECT CHARGED
▶ Akayed Ullah, from Bangladesh, is indicted on five counts of terrorism
We have every confidence that our justice system will find the truth behind this attack and that we will, in the end, be able to learn what occurred today FAMILY OF AKAYED ULLAH
A Bangladeshi man who arrived in the United States six years ago on a family visa is facing federal terrorism charges after allegedly detonating a bomb in the New York subway.
Akayed Ullah, 27, of Brooklyn, was indicted on five counts, including providing material support to ISIL and using weapons of mass destruction, according to a 10-page complaint released yesterday.
It is not yet known when he will appear before a judge.
Ullah is still in hospital recovering from burns and lacerations caused by the homemade bomb that went off during Monday morning rush hour at the Port Authority bus terminal close to Times Square in Manhattan. Three other people were also injured.
Law enforcement sources believe he was radicalised by ISIL as long as three years ago and selected his target because of Christmas posters on display.
The bombing came soon after the terrorist group called for attacks on New York during the holiday season.
The suspect’s family spoke of their sadness at the violence inflicted on the city and expressed their shock, but also accused police of a heavy-handed response. “We are heartbroken by the violence that was targeted at our city today and by the allegations being made against a member of our family,” they said. “But we’re also outraged by the behaviour of the law enforcement officials who held children as small as four years old out in the cold and who pulled a teenager out of high school classes to interrogate him without a lawyer, without his parents.
“These are not the sorts of actions that we expect from our justice system and we have every confidence that our justice system will find the truth behind this attack and that we will, in the end, be able to learn what occurred today.”
Ullah, 27, lived with his mother, sister and two brothers in Brooklyn. He has been in the US since arriving from Bangladesh in 2011.
Their home was searched within hours of the detonation. Security cameras picked up the man travelling from Brooklyn to Manhattan on Monday morning. He carried what police described as a crude explosive device, attached to his body with Velcro and zip ties.
It was built from a 30-centimetre pipe filled with explosive powder. A battery connected to a broken Christmas tree light served as a detonator. The ma-
terials are typical of those in online bomb-making guides.
Police believe the detonation blasted off the sealed ends of the tube, rather than fragmenting the pipe itself into deadly shrapnel.
Three other people were slightly injured when the bomb went off in an underground pedestrian walkway connecting Times Square subway station with a second station serving the Port Authority bus terminal at about 7.20am.
The area is one of Manhattan’s busiest transport hubs with almost half a million people passing through the two sites every day. City officials said they were relieved the damage was not worse.
Police sources said they believe Ullah was radicalised by ISIL propaganda and had cited deaths of Muslims in the Middle East during questioning. During hours of interviews, he also reportedly said he used bomb-making instructions published by Al Qaeda’s Inspire magazine.
The White House flagged up Ullah’s status as an immigrant on an F-43 immigrant visa, which is issued to the children of people who have the right to live in the US because they are related to a US citizen. He subsequently received a green card and became a legal permanent resident.
Donald Trump reminded voters of the importance of the travel ban and demanded further action. “As I have been saying since I first announced my candidacy for president, America must fix its lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country,” he said. “Today’s terror suspect entered our country through extended-family chain migration, which is incompatible with national security.”
The season – when tourists flock to New York for its winter markets, high-end shopping on Fifth Avenue and New Year’s Eve celebrations – always brings heightened security.
Two weeks ago ISIL supporters shared a message calling for attacks on New York. It featured an image of Santa Claus with a box of dynamite looking over a crowd in Times Square with the legend: “We meet at Christmas in New York … soon.”
Law enforcement officials interpreted it as a reminder of the constant threat, rather than evidence of a specific plot.
So far they believe Ullah was acting alone.
Police in Bangladesh have questioned Ullah’s wife, who lives in Dhaka with the couple’s six-month old baby.