New York on edge as explosion injures 29

He tried to calm fears among nervous New Yorkers, saying the explosion had no terrorist connection and wasn’t related to a pipe bomb explosion earlier on Saturday in New Jersey that forced the cancellation of a charity run.

“Now, I want to be clear: Whatever the cause, whatever the intention here, New Yorkers will not be intimidated,” the mayor said.

A law enforcement official said a second device that officers investigated four blocks from the scene appeared to be a pressure cooker attached to wiring and a cellphone.

The blast happened on West 23rd Street, in front of a residence for the blind, near a major thoroughfare with many restaurants and a supermarket.

Daniel Nigro, commissioner of the Fire Department of New York, said several people were taken to hospital with injuries. New York City subway routes were affected by the explosion, which rattled some New Yorkers and visitors on the heels of the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

The White House said President Barack Obama was apprised of the explosion.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said she had been briefed “about the bombings in New York and New Jersey and the attack in Minnesota”.

She said the nation needed to support its first responders and “pray for the victims”. “We have to let this investigation unfold,” she said.

Donald Trump moved ahead of officials when he declared a “bomb went off ” before they had released details. “I must tell you that just before I got off the plane a bomb went off in New York and nobody knows what’s going on,” Trump said. – AP