New York City police evacuated the transit system around Times Square after a man detonated a pipe bomb in a busy underground walkway during rush hour on Monday morning.
At least one person was injured, the New York fire department said.
The New York Police Department said it evacuated the subway below the Port Authority bus station at 42nd Street and 8th Avenue after receiving reports of an explosion.
“This was an attempted terrorist attack,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters.
Police said the suspect detonated a pipe bomb that was strapped to his body, injuring himself and four other people. The New York City Fire Department said the victims’ injuries were non-life-threatening.
BREAKING VIDEO: Moment of explosion at 42nd St and 8th Avenue in Manhattan pic.twitter.com/JwygdnnwNb
— New York City Alerts (@NYCityAlerts) December 11, 2017
The assailant was a reported to be a 27-year-old man originally from Bangladesh who came to the U.S. seven years ago and lived in Brooklyn. Police said the suspect, Akayed Ullah, was taken to the hospital in police custody with an abdominal wound and was expected to survive.
Mr. Ullah “was wearing an improvised explosion device attached to his body and he intentionally detonated it,” around 7:20 a.m. (1220 GMT) the NYPD said. Three police officers responding to the incident saw him on the ground with wires protruding from his jacket, according to Port Authority Police Benevolent Association spokesperson Bobby Egbert. The NYPD said Mr. Ullah had attached the device to his body with plastic zip ties and velcro.
NYFD Commissioner Daniel Nigro said Mr. Ullah suffered burns to his hands and abdomen. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Mr. Ullah detonated the device, but the pipe itself did not shatter, dampening the effect of the explosion. The injured bystanders are expected to be released from the hospital on Monday.
Mr. Cuomo said the explosion was being investigated as a “terror-related incident.”
