REUTERS/Edward Tobin
- The 27-year-old NYC bombing suspect Akayed Ullah reportedly chose to attack Port Authority because of its Christmas-themed posters.
- He reportedly carried out the attack in retaliation against Israel for its actions in the embattled Gaza territory.
- Ullah was taken into custody shortly after the explosion went off, and three people sustained non-life threatening injuries.
Akayed Ullah, the 27-year-old Brooklyn resident who attempted to carry out a suicide attack at New York City’s busiest transit hub, chose the location because of its Christmas-themed posters, The New York Times reported on Monday.
The explosion went off in the passageway linking the Port Authority and Times Square subway stations in midtown Manhattan. Numerous reports indicated that the bomb may have exploded prematurely, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Ullah “did not achieve his ultimate goals.”
According to former NYPD commission Bill Bratton and multiple media reports, Ullah is believed to have been inspired by the terrorist group ISIS. And according to CNN, Ullah told investigators he detonated the pipe bomb in retaliation for Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Ullah was taken to a hospital for treatment for his injuries, which the police said included burns to his hands and abdomen. The police said just three other people were injured in the attack and that the injuries were not life-threatening.
Sources told the New York Post that the suspect told investigators he made the explosive device at the electrical company.
The Times reported that the police found Ullah with an intact explosive device, which it said they stripped him to remove. The Joint Terrorism Task Force is reportedly still investigating the attack and Ullah’s motives.
Ullah has lived in the US for seven years and entered the country on an F43 family immigrant visa. He was a licensed driver for the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission from 2012 to 2015, NYC TLC Deputy Commissioner for Public Affairs Allan J. Fromberg told CNN. Ullah was not licensed to drive a NYC yellow taxi, Fromberg said.
