Earlier today, a 27-year-old man from Bangladesh tried to carry out a terrorist attack in one of the busiest commuter corridors of the subway in Manhattan. The man is now with the authorities. There were no fatalities.
The police identified the suspect as Akayed Ullad, he came to America about seven years ago and lived in Brooklyn. Earlier in the morning, at about 7:20 am, he set off a rudimentary pipe bomb that was strapped to his body. He suffered several burns and was taken to the Bellevue Hospital Center. Four other people suffered minor injuries, according to the police.
“I heard him pacing early in the morning, around 2:30 a.m. or 3, when the snow was falling,” said Kisslyn Joseph, 19, who moved next door to Ullah’s home in Flatlands a month ago. “I could hear somebody on the phone and it was kind of strange. It was the tone of voice and they were swearing”.
What were Ullah’s motives?
Akayed Ullah is a 27-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh. He is in police custody as it is believed he is responsible for trying to commit an act of terror in the New York subway on Monday morning.
He worked as a delivery driver. He had a delivery driver’s license between March 2012 and March 2015, now expired. He never had a license to drive a yellow cab.
Apparently, he follows ISIS and he tried to carry out the explosion in the name of that terrorist group. Some sources, such as CNN, said that Ullah already told the police that he planned the attack to revenge for the recent Israeli actions in Gaza.
“He did make a statement providing the basis for his motive,” the source said.
At 7:20, Ullah exploded a pipe bomb he had on his body in the subway passage at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. The blast echoed all the way through the subway station and filled parts of the Port Authority Bus Terminal with smoke. People were trying to escape. Four of them suffered minor injuries.
“I didn’t see anything, I just heard an explosion and I ran out like everyone did to look for the nearest exit. I had like a panic attack, I couldn’t breathe. My stomach started hurting,” the witness said. “I’m doing better — I’m just trying to catch a train to go back home to College Point,” a 911 caller, who identify herself as Carmen said.
Authorities concluded it was an attempt to commit an act of terror, because New York City is an example of how people from many countries, religions, and cultures can cohabitate peacefully, and ISIS doesn’t want that to be seen.
The suspect is now at the hospital for the burns he suffered in his hands and abdomen. He is in a serious condition, according to Daniel A. Nigro, the commissioner of the New York Fire Department.
The other three people with minor injuries were taken to St. Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital, Mount Sinai and the other one was treated in the scene.
Luckily, the bomb explosion wasn’t successful enough to cause a tragedy. According to NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill, Ullah’s bomb was “low-tech.” The suspect said he built the explosive device at the electrical company where he works.
This morning, Ullah had wires attached to him and a 5-inch metal pipe bomb and battery pack strapped to his midsection. He was carrying the device on the right side of his jacket. He partially detonated the bomb.
Ullah was always alone
NYPD investigators and FBI agents are trying to get more information by visiting several neighborhoods near Ullah’s home. The police closed the entire block of E. 48th St. in Flatlands where it is believed that Ullah lived. The police are questioning his father, his mother, and his brother.
The police officers are also hovering a second home on Ocean Parkway in Ditmas Park, possibly linked to Ullah.
Ullah was not very known in his neighborhood. He was deemed as a person with low communication skills. According to Cat Mara, who works at a real estate company on the block, Ullah never talked to people. He kept to himself.
Mara, 63, said he never saw him with anybody and didn’t even say “hello” to people. Kisslyn Joseph, his neighbor, said he had heard an argument early Sunday morning from Ulla’s apartment.
On the other hand, a business owner of the neighborhood – who refused to say his name – said that there wasn’t anything wrong with Ullah and that the terrorist act he intended to perform surprised the whole neighborhood. He also said that he comes from a nice family.
Source: New York Daily News