No int'l terror link to NY bombs, says governor

NEW YORK: The bomb that exploded in New York wounding 29 people was an act of terrorism that has no apparent international link, the state governor said Sunday.

A second bomb that failed to detonate was found nearby, police said.

“Whoever placed these bombs, we will find and they will be brought to justice,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters after touring the scene of the explosion that he said caused significant damage.

The blast exploded in the street in Chelsea, one of the most fashionable districts of Manhattan, at around 8:30pm on Saturday.

“A bomb exploding in New York is obviously an act of terrorism, but it’s not linked to international terrorism. In other words, we find no ISIS connection, et cetera,” said Cuomo in reference to the Islamic State extremist group based in Iraq and Syria. But a bomb going off is generically a terrorist activity. That’s how we’ll consider it. And that’s how we will prosecute it,” he added.

The governor stressed that while there was no evidence of an international terror connection “at this time,” it was still “very early in the investigation.”

An extra 1,000 state police and National Guard will deploy to airports, bus terminals and subway stations to reassure New Yorkers returning to work on Monday that the city is up and running, he said.

“We have no reason to believe at this time that there is any further immediate threat,” Cuomo said.

The explosion on 23rd Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, caused “significant” property damage with glass and shrapnel “everywhere,” the governor said.

While the two devices planted in Manhattan appear to be similar, at this stage they seem to be different than a pipe bomb that exploded in the neighboring state of New Jersey on Saturday, he said. - AFP See earlier story in World page