THE threat of terrorism is part of life that we all have to deal with but not live our lives in fear of it happening every day. And when it does happen, as with this failed (THANK GOD) attempt at a terrorist attack in the NYC subway we should not live our lives in fear of how our government might respond, what NOT MY pres drumpf/trump might do to whatever ethnic and / or religious group the perpetrator is from. drumpf/trump-pence will manipulate this into their wag the dog campaign (recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the U.S. embassy there) to detract from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian interference in and collusion with the drumpf/trump-pence 2016 presidential campaign and administration. This from NPR and the Washington Post.....
Suspect In Manhattan Subway Blast Was Wearing 'Low-Tech' Device
Updated at 10:38 a.m. ET
New York City police say the suspect in Monday morning's explosion at a subway station tunnel near Times Square was wearing an improvised explosive device and that he suffered burns after it was detonated. Three other people sustained minor injuries.
"It was an effectively low-tech device," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a news conference hours later near the site of the blast, calling the news of an explosion "very disturbing."
New York City Police Department Commissioner James P. O'Neill identified the suspect as 27-year-old Akayed Ullah. O'Neill said the device detonated in a below-ground walkway connecting the stations at Times Square and the Port Authority. Ullah was found in the walkway, and the incident was captured on surveillance video.
"Preliminary investigation at the scene indicates this individual was wearing an improvised low-tech explosive device attached to his body," O'Neill said. "He intentionally detonated that device."
The device was based on a pipe bomb and was attached to the suspect's body with Velcro and zip ties, according to NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller. He said that bomb technicians and the FBI are examining the device to learn more about it.
The NYPD is responding to reports of an explosion of unknown origin at 42nd Street and 8th Ave, #Manhattan. The A, C and E line are being evacuated at this time. Info is preliminary, more when available. pic.twitter.com/7vpNT97iLC
Update regarding explosion at 42nd St and 8th Ave, in subway: One male suspect is in custody. No injuries other than suspect at this time. Avoid the area. Subways bypassing #PortAuthorityand Times Square Stations. Info is preliminary. pic.twitter.com/bEAdjq8mYc
Ullah suffered burns to his hands and abdomen and was taken into custody, according to the police commissioner. The suspect was transported to Bellevue Hospital.
"This was an attempted terrorist attack," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said. "Thank God the perpetrator did not achieve his ultimate goals. Thank God our first responders were there so quickly, to address the situation."
The mayor added that "at this point in time, all we know of is one individual" carrying out what he called a failed attack. He said there was "no credible and specific threat directed at New York City right now."
Calling a bomb in a crowded subway "one of our worst nightmares," Cuomo said that the reality of what had occurred turned out to be better than what had been first feared. The injuries seem to have been minor, he said.
Ending his remarks, Cuomo said, "Let's go back to work. We're not going to allow them to disrupt us, that's exactly what they want. And that is exactly what they're not going to get."
New York City Fire Department Commissioner Daniel Nigro said the three other people injured were suffering from ringing in the ears and headaches, due to their proximity to the blast in an enclosed corridor. He said all three had taken themselves to nearby hospitals.
Police initially said the suspect was the only person injured when device detonated. But the New York City Fire Department later provided an update to confirm the additional injuries.
Around 7:20 a.m. ET, police said they responded to reports of a blast at 42nd Street and 8th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.
After the explosion, subway trains were bypassing the Port Authority and adjacent Times Square stations, police said. The Port Authority bus terminal was temporarily closed.
President Trump "has been briefed on the explosion in New York City," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said via a tweet.
This is a breaking news story. As often happens in situations like these, some information reported early may turn out to be inaccurate. We'll move quickly to correct the record and we'll only point to the best information we have at the time.
Authorities said a low-tech device was detonated in the New York City subway in an incident the mayor called “an attempted terrorist attack.”
The man suspected of setting off the explosion Monday morning in Midtown Manhattan was identified by authorities as 27-year-old Akayed Ullah, described as an immigrant from Bangladesh. The blast, which occurred in the area of the Port Authority Bus Terminal, at 42nd Street and 8th Avenue, resulted in serious injuries to the suspect and minor injuries to at least three others, authorities said during a morning news conference.
Ullah sustained burns and lacerations to his hands and abdomen, authorities said. Police said he was taken to Bellevue Hospital for treatment and then taken into custody.
Police said that three other people also suffered minor injuries caused by their proximity to the explosion, including ringing in the ears and headaches, and that they took themselves to a hospital.
“When we hear of an attack in the subways, it’s incredibly unsettling,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters. “And let’s also be clear, this was an attempted terrorist attack. Thank God the perpetrator did not achieve his ultimate goals.”
The NYPD is investigating the explosion as a possible terrorism incident, according to law enforcement officials.
John Miller, NYPD deputy commissioner for counterterrorism and intelligence, said during a news conference that the pipe bomb was “affixed to his person with a combination of Velcro and zip ties.”
Miller said that investigators are collecting the pieces of the device to determine its composition. Investigators are also trying to determine whether it might have detonated prematurely or only partially.
The blast took place in an underground passageway at the Port Authority subway station, at 42nd Street between 7th and 8th avenues, authorities said. The suspect was walking eastbound in the passageway at the time, during what would have been peak morning commute hours.
New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D), who described the bomb as “an effectively low-tech device,” said he was grateful that the only injuries to victims were minor.
“The first news this morning was obviously very frightening and disturbing,” Cuomo told reporters. “When you hear about a bomb in the subway station, it is in many ways one of our worst nightmares. The reality turns out to be better than the initial expectation and fear.”
Authorities say the suspect made statements after the explosion that led law enforcement officials to believe he was inspired by overseas terror groups, possibly the Islamic State. Asked about those statements at a news conference, the New York police commissioner declined to describe them, saying they were a focus of the investigation.
While there were no immediate claims of responsibility for the explosion, a pro-Islamic State media group suggested that it was carried out in response to President Trump’s recent statement recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
“No group has claimed responsibility for #NewYork #portauthorityexplosion as of yet,” terrorism analyst Rita Katz tweeted Monday, only hours after the incident.
Katz — director of the U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks terrorists’ online communications — added: “Pro-#ISIS channels cheering the attack.”
On MSNBC, former NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton said the suspect “was supposedly setting the device off in the name of ISIS,” according to preliminary information from his police sources. ISIS is another name for the Islamic State, an extremist group that has urged its followers to wage attacks around the world.
“So, definitely a terrorist attack. Definitely intended,” Bratton told the news network. “As to whether the device malfunctioned or didn’t function correctly, that will have to be determined.”
New Yorkers should expect to see increased police presence at all transportation hubs around the city immediately, he said.
Bratton, who served two terms as the NYPD commissioner (one in the mid-1990s and the other from 2014 to 2016), said law enforcement officials for years have anticipated additional and more frequent attacks. A September 2016 bombing that injured 29 people in the Chelsea neighborhood in Manhattan took place on Bratton’s last day of his second term.
“The pace is quickening, as we have been indicating that it would,” he told MSNBC. “New York continues to remain the focus of interest. . . . That is something that we can anticipate. These attacks are going to increase. That’s the reality.”
The explosion Monday came just weeks after a man driving a truck plowed through pedestrians and bicyclists on a path along the west side of Manhattan, killing eight people and wounding a dozen others. That driver, who survived, was taken into custody and told authorities he carried out the attack in the name of the Islamic State.
For New Yorkers, this was the second suspected terrorist attack in the city in the past three months.
Frank Ramirez, 42, who works only blocks from the Port Authority, said he saw the streets fill with police and ambulances before 8 a.m. and was immediately anxious.
“I just can’t believe this is happening again so soon,” he said.
Ramirez said he was near the scene of the last terrorist attack in October and saw the suspect hit a school bus. “That was scary enough. . . . if they start going after the subways, that would be bad for us.”
The Port Authority Bus Terminal, which bills itself as the world’s busiest bus terminal, is not far from Times Square, where police had several blocks closed down.
Several hours after the explosion, Sam and Patricia Sladnick sat at a nearby coffee shop planning out their return to Delaware. The retired electrician and schoolteacher had spent the weekend visiting family in Manhattan and were entering the bus terminal Monday morning when they heard an explosion and saw people start to run.
“I heard something but didn’t know what it was but then started to see people running,” Sam said. Patricia didn’t move at first and Sam said he had to turn around and pull her out. “I guess I should have stopped to help other people, make sure they got out okay, but I didn’t know whether there was going to be another explosion or what, so we left,” he added.
Patricia said she froze when she saw the police start to run.
“When I saw them running around like that I knew it was serious,” she said.
Details on how the suspect was apprehended were not immediately available, but the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association, a union representing Port Authority police officers, said on Twitter that the department’s officers took down the suspect at gunpoint.
NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill told reporters during the news conference that the attempted attack was captured on transit system surveillance video, which investigators were studying. He did not answer questions about the suspect’s background, citing the ongoing investigation.
According to the police, three subway lines — the A, C and E — were evacuated as a result of the blast. All subway trains were bypassing the Port Authority and Times Square stations, officials said.
President Trump was briefed on the incident Monday, according to the White House.
Renae Merle contributed to this report, which was first published at 7:58 a.m. and will be updated.
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