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Resources updated Monday, December 11, 2017

December 11, 2017

The terrorist Akayed Ullah

A Bangladeshi national in his 20s has been taken into custody with serious injuries after a suspected pipe bomb he was carrying malfunctioned and exploded prematurely inside a Midtown Manhattan subway station Monday morning.  

The explosion happened around 7:20am, in an underground tunnel linking the Port Authority Bus Terminal to Times Square. The underground tunnel is a major thoroughfare for workers during the morning rush hour.

The suspect, identified as 27-year-old Akayed Ullah, was found injured at the scene and rushed to Bellevue Hospital. He was wearing what appears to be a homemade pipe bomb attacked to his body with velcro and zip ties.  Authorities say Ullah is talking to investigators at the hospital. 

Three other people also reported to local hospitals for minor injuries like ringing in the ears and headaches.  

There have been reports that Ullah was inspired by ISIS.   

Former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton told MSNBC's Morning Joe that the suspect 'supposedly was setting the device off in the name of ISIS' and that it was 'definitely a terrorist attack, definitely intended'. 

At a morning press conference, current NYPD Commission James O'Neill said that the suspect 'did make statements' but that they are not going to comment on them yet. 

Though it's still early in the investigation, New York City officials say it was definitely an attempted terror attack. 

'This was an attempted terror attack and thank God the perpetrator did not achieve his ultimate goals,' Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

CNN reports that it appears the Subway was not the intended target of the pipe bomb, and that it may have went off prematurely. 

They also learned that the device was homemade and could have caused catastrophic damage if it went off as intended. 

Commissioner O'Neill said that they have obtained CCTV footage of the attack, but they have not detailed yet what it shows.  

The Port Authority Bus Terminal is the largest in the country and the busiest in the world - serving about 225,000 commuters a day. 

It's what's known by law enforcement officials as a 'soft target' because it handles a lot of traffic but doesn't have the same kind of security as a place like an airport. 

New York Mayor Andrew Cuomo said a bombing in the subway is 'one of our worst nightmares'- but he said New Yorkers will get through this as they have before on 9/11 and even the most recent terror attack on Halloween. 

"This is the New York. The reality is we are the target by many who would like to make a statement against democracy and against freedom. We have the Statue of Liberty in our harbor and that makes us an international target. 

'We understand that anyone can go on the internet and download garbage and vileness on how to put together an amateur-level explosive device and that is the reality that we live with. 

'The counter reality is that this is New York and we all pitch together and we are a savvy people and we keep our eyes open and that's what 'see something, say something' is all about. And we have the best law enforcement on the globe and we're all working together extraordinarily well,' Gov. Cuomo said.  

New York's Port Authority Terror attack: Suicide Vest of ISIS-inspired Bangladeshi explodes, injuring three Document

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the U.N. General Assembly (File photo)

"The Palestinian Authority and the Arab League may seek a United Nations General Assembly resolution against US President Donald Trump's declaration that Jerusalem is Israel's capital, according to diplomatic sources.

Such a text is likely to garner a majority of the 193 UN member states. Already last month, 151 nations voted at the UNGA to disavow Israeli sovereignty.

The forum allows for the Palestinians and the Arab states to issue a powerful diplomatic statement, but it lacks the impact of the UN Security Council, which also has enforcement capabilities...

Israel's Ambassador to the UN in New York Danny Danon told The Jerusalem Post, 'In response to the historic American announcement about Jerusalem, the Palestinians and their supporters are seeking to incite in the halls of the UN. Instead of criticizing this courageous American act, the UN should instead unequivocally condemn the Palestinian rockets and stabbings against innocent Israelis.'...

Separately, the UNGA is expected to approve 10 anti-Israel resolutions in December."

Palestinians may ask U.N. to condemn U.S. Jerusalem declaration Article