An explosion rocked New York’s Port Authority, one of the city’s busiest commuter hubs, on Monday morning.
Police confirmed one male suspect was injured and in custody after explosion, city's fire department confirmed that four other people were injured but are not in danger.
The incident occurred less than two months after an Uzbek immigrant killed eight people by speeding a rental truck down a New York City bike path, in an attack for which Islamic State claimed responsibility.
- The blast happened on 11 December, Monday in an underpass at the Port Authority terminal near Times Square
- US media quote officials as saying that the suspect had a pipe bomb strapped to his body when it detonated
- The NYC Mayor called it an ‘attempted terrorist attack’. Suspect is identified as 27-year-old Akayed Ullah
- No casualties were reported. The suspect and four other commuters inflicted non-life-threatning injuries
- White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said US President Donald Trump had been briefed on the incident
New York Terror Suspect Came to US as Foreign Relative of Visa Lottery Immigrant
The Bangladeshi-origin man accused of triggering a blast in New York City, came to the US by using a family immigrant visa sponsored by his uncle who had migrated through the diversity lottery visa programme, a top Trump administration official said on Wednesday, 13 December.
In the family-based migration category, there are multiple categories of people. The principle category of family-based immigrant are called immediate relatives. These are people who are the spouses or children, nuclear family members of US citizens.
In a given year, there are about half a million people in that category. In fiscal year '16, in that category, these are people who are the nuclear family members of US citizens, there were about 5,66,000 people that immigrated.
An additional category in the family-based universe are what are called preference categories. These are more extended family connections. These include unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens. Second category, spouses of green card holders, unmarried sons and daughters of green card holders.
Third category, married sons and daughters of US citizens. Fourth category is brothers and sisters of US citizens and their children.
Bomb Suspect Akayed Ullah Charged, Bangladesh Questions Wife
US prosecutors on Tuesday brought federal charges against Akayed Ullah accusing him of using a weapon of mass destruction in Monday’s bombing of a Manhattan commuter hub, reports Reuters.
The federal charges, which are expected to take precedence over the state charges, carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. Ullah reported told police he was inspired by the Islamic State.
I did it for the Islamic State.Akayed Ullah to police interviewers after the blast
Investigators in Bangladesh were questioning Ullah’s wife, according to two officials who declined to be identified as they were not permitted to discuss the matter publicly.
We have found his wife and in-laws in Dhaka. We are interviewing them.Bangladesh police official to Reuters
World Trade Center to Be Lit in Red, White & Blue Following Attack
New York State Governor, Andrew Cuomo has reportedly directed for the World Trade Center to be lit in the red, white and blue of the American flag, following the attack that took place in New York yesterday.
Govt Of Bangladesh Declares "Zero Tolerance" Against Terrorism
The Bangladesh Embassy in Washington released an official statement, where it said that the Government of Bangladesh has “zero tolerance” against terrorism and that it condemned the attack, terrorism and “violent extremism” across the world.