A New York Police Department (NYPD) officer allows a girl through 'Do Not Cross' taped street after an explosion occured at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York, United States on December 11, 2017. (Photo by Ertugrul Cingil/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
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The suspect, identified as Akayed Ullah, was "wearing an improvised low-tech explosive device" that detonated in a subway tunnel in the 42nd Street passageway between 7th and 8th avenues, NYPD commissioner James P. O'Neill told reporters. Ullah was taken into custody.
The incident happened at about 7:20 a.m. in the busy underground tunnel on 42nd Street between 7th and 8th avenues, near both the Times Square subway station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal. All of the injuries were non-life-threatening, according to the Fire Department of New York.
Ullah, 27, was wearing a pipe bomb-based device that was affixed to his body with Velcro and zip ties, NYPD deputy commissioner John Miler said. Officials said he was taken to Bellevue Hospital on Manhattan's east side with burns and other wounds.
Earlier, law enforcement officials told NBC News the suspect was the only person hurt and sustained a minor injury.
Three law enforcement officials said that the explosion was believed to be an "intentional act." The suspect had some sort of pipe bomb or other type of improvised explosive device that either went off prematurely or only partially detonated, the law enforcement officials said.
A federal law enforcement official said Ullah, 27, was wearing the explosive device.
NYPD and FBI are investigating whether it was a lone actor with a lone incendiary device, or whether it was part of a broader plot. The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is also involved in the probe.
Former NYPD commissioner Bill Bratton said preliminary information indicated that the explosion was carried out in the name of ISIS.
"The preliminary information from three sources, and I emphasize my former word, preliminary, subject to change: It is a man in his middle 20s probably, possibly from Bangladesh. Been in the country about seven years, who was supposedly setting the device off in the name of ISIS. So definitely a terrorist attack, definitely intended," Bratton said on MSNBC.
"As to whether the device malfunctioned or didn’t function correctly, that’ll have to be determined," Bratton added.
The incident, in the heart of the city, caused chaos for morning commuters. Emergency vehicles that stretched for blocks rushed to the scene, causing major evacuations in the massive transit hub. Subway lines were thrown into disarray, with at least 10 bypassing the Times Square and 42nd Street/Port Authority stops.
With the area around Port Authority closed off, streets that would normally be bustling with commuters were eerily empty. Bystanders took photos with their phones as police and fire vehicles whizzed by.
Two students who were about to swipe into the subway said that they were trying to get to school when the explosion went off.
"I was about to swipe in my card and out of nowhere, we heard a really loud bang, everyone said 'get out, get out!'" Ali, 18, who declined to give his last name, said.
His friend, Saidou Choudhury, 19, said the explosion "sounded like it was deep inside."
"I was traumatized," he said.
Another commuter, Isham Chowdhury, was on a bus bound for Port Authority when the explosion went off. He said he got to the terminal about 10 minutes afterwards.
"They were closing the entrance due to the attack. Everyone was calm, but we knew it wasn't normal," Chowdhury said. "The escalators were shut."
The FDNY said they received a call about the explosion at 7:19 a.m. ET. The suspect was taken to Bellevue Hospital on Manhattan's east side.
The incident comes a mere six weeks after a truck driver deliberately drove down a bike path in lower Manhattan, killing eight people in the deadliest terror attack in New York City since Sept. 11, 2001.
The Port Authority Bus Terminal is the nation's largest bus terminal, with about 230,000 passengers passing through it on a typical weekday, its website says.
President Donald Trump was briefed on the incident, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Source AOL
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