Suicide bomb attack terror in Manhattan
Fanatic inspired by Isis sets off explosive at busy bus terminal Dramatic footage shows the moment the blast happened
A WOULD-BE suicide bomber inspired by Isis brought terror to New York by detonating a homemade explosive at rush hour.
Akayed Ullah, 27, allegedly had wires, a five-inch pipe bomb and a battery pack attached to him as he walked through Port Authority bus terminal yesterday.
The suspect partially detonated the device, under his jacket, in an underground walkway at 7.20am.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called the alleged incident “an attempted terrorist attack”.
State governor Andrew Cuomo said: “We are a target by many who would like to make a statement against freedom.
“Let’s go back to work. We are not going to allow them to disrupt us.”
Police Commissioner James O’Neill said Ullah, who was born in Bangladesh, had an “improvised low-tech explosive device attached to his body” as he passed through the Manhattan transit hub.
Dramatic video footage showed the moment the device exploded.
Witness Christina Bethea, 29, who had just walked down the stairs, said: “At the end of the tunnel, we heard the explosion, boom.
“You could see the smoke coming. When I saw the smoke, I ran up the stairs.”
Hero police officers Jack Collins, Sean Gallagher and Anthony Manfredini tackled Ullah to the ground as the suspected bomb continued smoking.
FBI spokesman John Miller said the suspect device was “based on a pipe bomb”.
A picture showed Ullah being restrained on the floor with his clothes ripped. Police said he suffered burns and wounds. The suspect was last night in custody after receiving hospital treatment.
Three other people, including a police officer, suffered minor injuries in the blast. Ex-New York police commissioner Bill Bratton added the suspect had supposedly set off the device “in the name of ISIS”.
Police said Ullah appeared to have no criminal record in Bangladesh and last visited his home country in September. He has reportedly been in the US for seven years.
Investigators said the attack appeared to be isolated.
It came less than a week after US President Donald Trump declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel, sparking fury in the Muslim world.
Trump yesterday chose to focus on attacking the American media, rather than express support for the people of New York.