Bomber sought holiday impact, but blast fizzled
Bangladesh native accused of ISIS-inspired terror attack
NEW YORK – The suspect in an attempted terror attack near Times Square told investigators he specifically timed the assault to coincide with the Christmas season for the greatest possible impact — lashing out in the name of the Islamic State, a law enforcement official said Monday.
The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly during the investigation, said Akayed Ullah, a Bangladesh native in the USA since 2011, was cooperating with authorities from the New York City Police Department, and the FBI was interrogating him.
Ullah, 27, wore an improvised, low- tech explosive device he detonated in a crowded pedestrian tunnel during the rush hour around 7:20 a.m. ET, Police Commissioner James O’Neill said.
Ullah, who lives in Brooklyn, was rushed to Bellevue Hospital with burns on his abdomen and hands. Three people near him were injured.
Ullah expected to die in the attack and believed that others would perish
“Let’s be clear that this was an attempted terror attack. Thank God, the perpetrator did not achieve his ultimate goal.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio
with him, the official said.
The official said the suspect waived his rights to counsel before speaking with investigators.
The device was described as crudely made, though the suspect appeared to have some background in electrical work.
Investigators seized at least one cellphone and examined whether he had contacts with others. The official said the investigation indicated the suspect appeared to act alone.
The area targeted in the blast was packed with commuters and holiday tourists in a city still on edge from a terror attack six weeks ago that claimed eight lives. After the blast, hundreds of commuters fled subway trains, and dozens of emergency vehicles swarmed Times Square.
“Let’s be clear that this was an attempted terror attack,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “Thank God, the perpetrator did not achieve his ultimate goal.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo described Ullah as a disgruntled lone wolf.
Several police cars staked out Ullah’s Brooklyn residence as small pieces of the suspect’s life began to surface.
Ullah came to the USA on an F-4 visa available for immigrants with family in the country who are citizens. Allan Fromberg, spokesman for the city Taxi and Limousine Commission, said Ullah was licensed as a for-hire driver from March 2012 through March 2015.
A statement released Monday night by relatives said Ullah’s family was heartbroken and deeply saddened by the suffering the attack caused.
The statement expressed outrage over the way the family was treated by law enforcement, saying a teenage relative was pulled from class and questioned without a parent, guardian or attorney present. The family said it expects more from the justice system.
The statement was released by Albert Fox Cahn, legal director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in New York.
Less than three hours after the blast, officials said all trains and buses were running. In the minutes after the blast, public transit in the area came to a near standstill.
“The NYPD is responding to reports of an explosion of unknown origin at 42nd Street and 8th Ave, #Manhattan,” the Police Department said in a tweet. “The A, C and E line are being evacuated at this time. Info is preliminary, more when available.”
Hours later, the department tweeted that officers would be out in force across the city but that there were no other “specific and credible threats.”
“We are New Yorkers,” O’Neill said. “We don’t live in fear.”
President Trump called for more restrictions on immigration after the incident. “America must fix its lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country,” Trump said in a written statement.
Christina Bethea, 29, a security guard from Yonkers, a northern suburb, said she was getting off a southbound 1 line subway train en route to work Monday morning when she heard a loud noise.
“I heard boom and saw smoke, and we all started running up the steps,” Bethea said. “It sounded like a loud gunshot. ... When you hear a boom and see smoke, that means get the hell out of there.”
Omar Stewart had been at Port Authority since 4:45 a.m., waiting for a delayed Greyhound bus to take him home to Springfield, Mass., when he heard a muffled bang. “We didn’t take it as anything” at first, Stewart said. Then “police from every corner started flooding the place saying, ‘ Grab your bags, grab your bags, everybody out of the building right now!’ ”
Since 9/11, several attacks have rocked New York.
On Oct. 31, a motorist in a rented pickup drove down a bike path in Lower Manhattan, killing eight people and wounding a dozen more before crashing into a school bus.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility, and Sayfullo Saipov, 29, an Uzbekistan native and New Jersey resident, was charged with providing material support to ISIS, violence and destruction of motor vehicles.
NJ Transit passenger Nadine Hovan said the attack wouldn’t intimidate her from returning to the city.
“You got to live your life,” she said. “You got to work. You can’t stay locked up in your house all the time.”
McCoy reported from New York, Bacon from McLean, Va. Contributing: Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY; Colleen Wilson, The (Westchester County, N.Y.) Journal News; Keldy Ortiz, The (Bergen County, N.J.) Record