New York Port Authority attack: Man held after Manhattan blast


Image caption The blast hit during New York's rush-hour - this is how events unfolded



The suspect, Akayed Ullah, a 27-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant, was injured by a "low-tech explosive device" strapped to his body, officials say.

Three other people suffered minor wounds when it blew up in an underpass.

A photo circulating on social media shows a man, said to be Akayed Ullah, lying on the ground with his clothes ripped and lacerations on his upper body.

Mayor De Blasio said he was believed to have acted alone.

Who is the attacker?

Image caption NYC police commissioner: 'Suspect has burns and wounds to body'

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said: "This is New York. The reality is that we are a target by many who would like to make a statement against democracy, against freedom.

"We have the Statue of Liberty in our harbour and that makes us an international target."

Image copyright CBS
Image caption Akayed Ullah is a 27-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant

The explosion occurred at about 07:30 (12:30 GMT). Andre Rodriguez, 62, told the New York Times: "I was going through the turnstile. It sounded like an explosion, and everybody started running."

Another eyewitness, Alicja Wlodkowski, told Reuters news agency that she had seen a group of about 60 people running. "A woman fell. And nobody even went to stop and help her because the panic was so scary," she said.

Nearby subway stations were evacuated, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal temporarily shut.

It is the biggest and busiest bus terminal in the world, serving more than 65 million people a year.

The suspect's home in the New York City borough of Brooklyn is being searched, the New York Times reports.

He may have been recently working at an electrical company, according to the New York Post.

Mr Ullah emigrated to the US on a family visa in 2011. The Bangladeshi government said he had no criminal record in the country, which he last visited in September.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders claimed that if Mr Trump's proposed immigration crackdown had already been in place, "the attacker would have never been allowed to come into the country".

"This attack underscores the need for Congress to work with the president on immigration reforms that enhance our national security and public safety," she added during a daily news briefing on Monday.

Image copyright Reuters
Image caption Several blocks of the city have been cordoned off

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