Bomb explodes in NYC subway access tunnel

A pipe bomb exploded underneath the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey bus terminal in a subway access tunnel to New York City Transit’s A C and E lines at approximately 7:40 AM EST. The bus terminal and the affected subway lines were shut down and evacuated. NYCT re-routed several other subway lines that normally access the terminal.

According to various reports, a 27-year-old Brooklyn man identified by police as Akayed Ullahand, and who is possibly of Bangladeshi origin, partially detonated the device, which he was carrying under the right side of his jacket, prematurely inside the passageway to the A, C and E trains at Eighth Avenue and West 42nd Street. He had wires attached to him and a 5-inch metal pipe bomb and battery pack strapped to his midsection as he walked through the passageway. He and three others were injured; none of those are life-threatening. The man is now in police custody.

The bomb either malfunctioned or didn’t go off as planned. The blast caused smoke to fill the passageway, which was crowded with Monday morning commuters. Law enforcement officials said the bomb was a crudely made low-grade explosive device. It’s not clear what the suspect had intended, they said.

Former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that Ullahand was inspired by ISIS. He said Ullahand, who had been living in the U.S. for seven years, “was supposedly setting the device off in the name of ISIS. So, definitely a terrorist attack, definitely intended.”

Ullahand, who suffered the most serious injuries, was taken to Bellevue Hospital. The others suffered minor injuries, police said. Investigators briefly spoke to the alleged bomber, who told them he made the explosive device at the electrical company where he works.

The New York Post published the photo below: It shows a bearded man crumpled on the ground with his shirt apparently blown off and black soot covering his bare midriff. A police officer is holding the man’s hands behind his back.