The blast that injured a suspected bomber Monday morning inside a New York City subway corridor for commuters was a “terror-related incident,” Commissioner James O’Neill of the New Yor
Police Department said.
O’Neill identified the suspect arrested and hospitalized with serious injuries as Akayed Ullah, 27.
Mayor Bill de Blasio called the incident “incredibly unsettling” due to the centrality of the subway to life in New York.
“This was an attempted terrorist attack,” he said. “Thank god the perpetrator did not achieve his ultimate goals.”
The blast hit the Port Authority station at 42nd Street and 8th Avenue in Manhattan at 7:20 am (1220 GMT). Several underground lines were cleared of passengers until police confirmed that the subway was secure. They had urged people to avoid the area and closed off several streets.
The suspect appeared to have acted alone, de Blasio said.
“All we know of is one individual, who, thank god, was unsuccessful in his aims,” the mayor said.
There were “no additional known incidents at this time,” de Blasio said.
Three other people who were near the blast went to nearby hospitals complained of ringing ears and headache, Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said.
Ullah suffered lacerations and burns to his hands and abdomen, Nigro said.
An apparent surveillance video obtained by New York media showed other people a few metres from the blast stumble away in the subway corridor. As the smoke cleared, the apparent bomber was motionless on his back on the corridor floor.
New York Police Department counter-terrorism chief John Miller said the device appeared to be a pipe bomb attached to the suspect’s body with Velcro and zip ties.
O’Neill described it as an “improvised low-tech explosive device.”
Ullah “did make statements” to officers after his arrest, but O’Neill refused to give details.
De Blasio said that police and other first responders performed“brilliantly” after the explosion.
The White House said President Donald Trump has been briefed on the incident.
In October, a 29-year-old Uzbek national who came to the US in 2010 drove a vehicle into pedestrians and cyclists in Manhattan, killing eight people.
“This is New York,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said. “The reality is we are a target by many who would like to make a statement against democracy, against freedom.”
Police were securing all major transit hubs and “all major sites” in New York, de Blasio said.
With the Christmas shopping season well underway, residents and visitors alike should be reassured by the sight of heavily armed officers after Monday’s incident. “That means NYPD is out in force,” de Blasio said.
He urged bystanders to report anything suspicious, no matter how small.
“This is the most resilient place on Earth,” de Blasio said.
“The terrorists will not win. We’re going to keep being New Yorkers.”
dpa
