Commuters were sent running for the exits after a would-be suicide bomber detonated a pipe bomb in a busy Manhattan subway corridor Monday morning, though luckily the only serious injuries were sustained by the bomber himself.
Police later identified the attacker as Akayed Ullah, 27, who reportedly told them he chose that location to detonate the bomb because of the Christmas-themed posters adorning the walls of the corridor. Additionally, Ullah told investigators the attack was in retaliation for United States airstrikes on ISIS targets in the Middle East.
The explosion occurred around 7 a.m. in the corridor between the subway station underneath the Port Authority Bus Terminal and the Times Square subway station.
Ullah, a native of Bangladesh, was taken to the hospital after suffering burns from the device, which luckily failed to fully ignite. It was reportedly attached to his body with zip ties and velcro and featured a crude detonator fashioned from a Christmas light with the bulb removed and a small battery.
Three others, including a police officer, suffered minor injuries.
The attack came just six weeks after a man drove a truck through a crowd of pedestrians along a bike path in lower Manhattan, killing eight. The Islamic State later claimed responsibility.
Source: nytimes.com
