Four hurt in NewYork attempted terror attack
FOUR people, including the suspect, were hurt following a pipe bomb explosion at the height of New York’s morning rush hour yesterday.
City mayor Bill de Blasio said “this was an attempted terrorist attack” while the police commissioner James O’Neill said it was a “terrorrelated” incident.
None of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening.
“Thank God the perpetrator did not achieve his ultimate goals,” Mr de Blasio said.
The suspect was identified as 27-year-old Akayed Ullah.
Officials said he was inspired by the Islamic State group but had apparently not had any direct contact with the group. The officials said the suspect lives in Brooklyn and may be of Bangladeshi descent.
The pipe bomb explosion inside the subway happened in an underground passageway between Seventh and Eighth Avenues on 42nd Street.
A law enforcement official said the man had a pipe bomb strapped to him when it went off.
A photo in the New York Post showed a bearded man with his arms held behind his back by a police officer with soot covering the man’s bare midriff.
The Port Authority Bus Terminal, the nation’s largest bus hub, was shut down, along with the eight subway lines and all streets around Times Square.
The explosion triggered a massive emergency response by police and fire both above and below ground, disrupting subway and bus services at the Port Authority.
Video showed queues of police and emergency vehicles, their lights flashing, lining the streets and no other vehicle traffic moving.
Everything around the Port Authority area was shut down, a surreal scene at what would ordinarily be a bustling rush hour.