A suspect has been taken into custody after an explosion at the Port Authority subway station in New York City Monday morning. The suspect has been identified as a 27-year-old Bangladeshi national (pictured above)
The FDNY says four people were injured but all the injuries were non-life-threatening
A suspected terrorist in his 20s has been taken into custody with serious injuries after a suspected pipe bomb he was carrying malfunctioned and exploded prematurely inside a Midtown Manhattan subway station Monday morning.
The incident happened around 7:20am, in an underground tunnel linking the Port Authority Bus Terminal to Times Square. The underground tunnel is a major thoroughfare for workers during the morning rush hour.
The suspect, identified as 27-year-old Akayed Ullah, was discovered injured at the scene and rushed to Bellevue Hospital. He was wearing what looked like a home-made pipe bomb attached to his body with velcro and zip ties.
Three other people were also hurt with minor injuries. They self reported to two area hospitals for injuries including ringing in the ears and headaches.
Former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton told MSNBC's Morning Joe that the suspect 'supposedly was setting the device off in the name of ISIS' and that it was 'definitely a terrorist attack, definitely intended'.
At a morning press conference, current NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill said that the suspect 'did make statements' but that they are not going to comment on them yet.
Port Authority remained entirely closed off on Monday morning at 9am. Above, the entrance at 8th Avenue and 41st Street
CNN has reported that the Subway might not have been the intended target of the pipe bomb, and that it may have gone off prematurely.
It was also learnt that the device was homemade and could have caused catastrophic damage if it went off as intended.
The Port Authority is the largest in the country and the busiest in the world - serving about 225,000 commuters a day.
Panicked commuters piled on to escalators to get out of the station after the explosion which occurred just after 7.30am
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