New York Port Authority attack: Man held after Manhattan blast

Authored by bbc.com and submitted by wickedplayer494

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The blast hit during New York's rush-hour - this is how events unfolded

A man is being held after an attempted terror attack at New York City's main bus terminal.

"Terrorists won't win," Mayor Bill de Blasio said after a blast at the Port Authority terminal in Manhattan during the morning rush hour on Monday.

The suspect, Akayed Ullah, a 27-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant, was injured by a "low-tech explosive device" strapped to his body, officials say.

Four other people suffered minor wounds when it blew up in an underpass.

A photo circulating on social media shows a man, said to be Akayed Ullah, lying on the ground with his clothes ripped and lacerations on his upper body.

Mayor De Blasio said he was believed to have acted alone.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption NYC police commissioner: 'Suspect has burns and wounds to body'

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said: "This is New York. The reality is that we are a target by many who would like to make a statement against democracy, against freedom.

"We have the Statue of Liberty in our harbour and that makes us an international target."

Image copyright CBS Image caption Akayed Ullah is a 27-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant

The explosion occurred at about 07:30 (12:30 GMT). Andre Rodriguez, 62, told the New York Times: "I was going through the turnstile. It sounded like an explosion, and everybody started running."

Another eyewitness, Alicja Wlodkowski, told Reuters news agency that she had seen a group of about 60 people running. "A woman fell. And nobody even went to stop and help her because the panic was so scary," she said.

Nearby subway stations were evacuated, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal temporarily shut.

It is the biggest and busiest bus terminal in the world, serving more than 65 million people a year.

The suspect's home in the New York City borough of Brooklyn is being searched, the New York Times reports.

He may have been recently working at an electrical company, according to the New York Post.

Mr Ullah emigrated to the US on a family visa in 2011. The Bangladeshi government said he had no criminal record in the country, which he last visited in September.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders claimed that if Mr Trump's proposed immigration crackdown had already been in place, "the attacker would have never been allowed to come into the country".

"This attack underscores the need for Congress to work with the president on immigration reforms that enhance our national security and public safety," she added during a daily news briefing on Monday.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Several blocks of the city have been cordoned off

Skip Twitter post by @NY1 Police say this is Akayed Ullah, a 27-year-old man from Brooklyn who is accused of detonating an explosive device in a subway tunnel beneath the Port Authority Bus terminal Monday morning. He is in custody and being questioned. pic.twitter.com/9ZKHwJQAdk — Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) December 11, 2017 Report

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SlavLover on December 11st, 2017 at 13:53 UTC »

"One non-life threatening injury." Sounds like the idiot blew himself up. That's the best possible outcome for one of these incidents.

joker54 on December 11st, 2017 at 13:05 UTC »

Live Feed: https://www.reddit.com/live/103aqce71mbrv/ What is known: Happened at the A line tunnel along 4/2 & 8th cooridor between 7th and 8th (thanks /u/onedollalama for that info and correction) 4 people injured, including the alleged bomber. (http://pix11.com/2017/12/11/emergency-personnel-responding-near-port-authority/) (https://twitter.com/FDNY/status/940221127925948416 -- thanks /u/nilnz ) all injuries are non-life-threatening Attempted suicide bombing Pipe bomb detonated prematurely. "Low-tech device" -- NY Governor 'He did make statements claiming connection to ISIS but we're not going to talk about that right now' - Commissioner Subway service is being restored except at 42nd -- NY Govenor Alleged suspect had second bomb Alleged Bomber in custody at hospital. Injuries are burns to abdomen and hands. 3 removed themselves to hospitals with ringing in the ears Alleged Bomber is stable and coherent. Alleged Bomber is 27-year-old Bangladeshi male named Akayed Ullah (Thanks to /u/IIndAmendmentJesus for correct spelling) who was living in Midwood Brooklyn. Alleged Bomber has resided in Brooklyn for 7 years 34th street, Staton, Bronx are all being checked for further devices Subway/bus activity around Port Authority completely stopped. Busses are back to going to PA. (per /u/LockePhilote) Video of bombing (NSFW) https://twitter.com/spectatorindex/status/940209205398577154/video/1 (Now confirmed) New York mayor calls subway explosion 'attempted terrorist attack.' Says no indication of other threats; security to be stepped up throughout city. Praises New Yorkers as resilient. (thanks to /u/Johnny_W94 for that) Possible Motive:

Recent Israeli actions in Gaza compelled Ullah to carry out the attack, a law enforcement source said. The suspect was upset, in his words, with the "incursion into Gaza," the source said, but did not elaborate on what incursion he may have been alluding to. Israel launched airstrikes this weekend against what it said were Hamas targets in Gaza after several rockets were fired out of Gaza towards Israel. This came amid widespread protests over President Trump's move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

From http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/11/us/ny-suspect-what-we-know/index.html

(Thanks to /u/pipsdontsqueak for this)

Anecdotal: For info on service disruption check http://mta.info/ and http://panynj.gov/ per https://twitter.com/nycgov/status/940223155825717249 (thanks to /u/nilnz) Busses being diverted at 42nd St/ 10th Ave Unsubstantiated Accounts: Twitter/other news resources: https://twitter.com/USATODAY/status/940233562497970176 (thanks to /u/tickandeklocka) Officials have identified the suspect as 27-year-old Akayed Ullah, who wore a low-tech "pipe bomb" with velcro and zip ties affixed to his person. #explosion

Things are winding down, so we appear to be a the end of my updates.

penone_nyc on December 11st, 2017 at 12:54 UTC »

WABC news is reporting a pipe bomb exploded in a corridor.