An explosion Monday morning at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan is, in the words of Police Commissioner James O’Neill, a “terror-related incident.”
The explosion happened on a walkway below ground near 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue. The suspect, Akayed Ullah, and three other people were injured.
Information on what is known about the suspect is emerging.
Who is he?
— Police identified the suspect as Akayed Ullah, a 27-year-old man.
— He lives in Brooklyn and is of Bangladeshi descent, two law enforcement sources said.
— Ullah is a former taxi driver, an official investigator with direct knowledge of the matter tells CNN. He was driving as recently as 2014, the official said, but it is unclear when he became a taxi driver.
— Police are asking anyone who may have any information about this individual or the incident to call Terror Hotline at 888-NYC-SAFE.
The device
— The suspect wore an “improvised low-tech explosive device attached to his body. He intentionally detonated that device,” O’Neill said.
— Ullah told police he made the device at his workplace, according to a senior New York law enforcement official and a city official being briefed on the investigation.
— The device was a pipe bomb affixed to his person with a combination of Velcro and zip ties, John Miller, Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, said.
Links to terrorist groups?
— Asked if the suspect claimed connection to ISIS, O’Neill told reporters that “he did make statements” but refrained at present from disclosing what he said.
— Authorities are conducting background checks on Ullah.
His injuries
— Ullah is in custody and is now at Bellevue Hospital. He is being treated for lacerations and burns to his hands and abdomen.