Man inspired by IS lights bomb in packed NYC subway corridor
Makeshift device wounds suspect; Trump says immigration policy needs to be changed
NEW YORK — A would-be suicide bomber inspired by Islamic State extremists strapped on a crude pipe bomb, slipped unnoticed into the nation’s busiest subway system and set the device off at rush hour Monday morning.
In the end, the only serious wounds were to the suspect identified as Akayed Ullah, a 27year-old Bangladeshi immigrant and former cab driver. But the attack sent terrified commuters fleeing through a smoky passageway, bringing the heart of Midtown to a standstill as hundreds of police officers converged on Times Square and the surrounding streets.
“This was an attempted terrorist attack,” Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “Thank God the perpetrator did not achieve his ultimate goals.”
The suspect had looked at IS propaganda online and told investigators he acted alone in retaliation for U.S. military aggression, law enforcement officials said. He chose the heart of Manhattan’s busiest subway corridor as the location for his bungled attack because of its Christmas-themed posters,
recalling strikes in Europe against Christmas markets, he told investigators.
In Washington, President Donald Trump said the explosion highlighted the need to change immigration policies, including the type of family-based visa Mr. Ullah obtained to come to the U.S. in 2011. Such visas are “incompatible with national security,” the Republican president said in a statement.
“America must fix its lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country,” said Mr. Trump, who campaigned on cracking down on immigration.
The attack near Times Square came less than two months after eight people died near the World Trade Center in a truck attack authorities said was carried out by an Uzbek immigrant who admired IS.
Law enforcement officials said Mr. Ullah was inspired by IS but apparently did not have any direct contact with the group. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said there was no evidence, so far, of other bombs or a larger plot.
Investigators described the bomb as a low-tech explosive device attached to Mr. Ullah with “Velcro and plastic ties.” It was ignited with a Christmas light, matches and a nine-volt battery. It was not powerful enough to turn the pipe into deadly shrapnel, the officials said.
Security cameras captured the attacker walking through a crowded passageway under 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues when the bomb went off about 7:20 a.m. amid a plume of white smoke, which cleared to show the man sprawled on the ground.
Port Authority police said officers found the man injured on the ground, with wires protruding from his jacket and the device strapped to his torso under his coat.
Law enforcement officials said the suspect was speaking with investigators from the hospital bed where he was being treated for burns to his hands and abdomen.
He was “all over the place” on the question of motive, but indicated he wanted to avenge U.S. aggression against IS, one official said.
Mr. Ullah came to the U.S. on an F-4 visa, available for those with family in the U.S. who are citizens, the Department of Homeland Security said. Mr. Trump’s administration has called for a “merit-based” immigration system that would limit family-based green cards to spouses and minor children. A White House spokeswoman said Monday that the proposed policy would have kept Mr. Ullah out of the U.S.
Mr. Ullah lived with his family in a Brooklyn neighborhood with a large Bangladeshi community, residents said.