IS-inspired Bangladeshi arrested for planning New York terror attack

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NEW YORK: A Bangladeshi national planned terror attack which took place near Times Square on Monday.

The explosion happened around 7:20 am, 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 attacker has been identified as 27-year-old Akayed Ullah, who was carrying a suspected pipe bomb that malfunctioned and exploded prematurely, leaving him and three others injured.

CNN quoted Police Commissioner James O'Neil as saying that "the suspect's name is Akayed Ullah, who is 27 years old. He suffered burns and other wounds and is currently in the hospital. Preliminary investigation at the scene indicates that this male was wearing an improvised low-tech explosive device attached to his body. He intentionally detonated that device. "

The authorities have termed the incident as a planned terror attack.

The police have confirmed that apart from the suspect, three other people have suffered non- life-threatening injuries. The residents have also been advised to avoid the area.

"This was an attempted terrorist attack, "CNN quoted New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio as saying.

The CNN quoted New York Governor Andrew Cuomo as saying that the suspect had an "effectively low-tech device" on him this morning at Port Authority.

President Donald Trump was briefed on the explosion in New York City, said White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said there are "no credible and specific threats against New York at this time" but added that there will be an increased police presence across New York today.

An eyewitness Francisco Ramirez told CNN that he heard two explosions as he was exiting a bus about 7:45 a.m. ET, even though he was wearing headphones.

"From what I saw it sounded like it came from the subway, but I'm just guessing," he said. "It was two distinct explosions seconds from each other. As I was making my way toward the outside, I kept getting shoved by cops and there were cops at every entrance blocking and there was police and SWAT everywhere. It was scary. It was just a lot of chaos but I didn't see any injuries," Ramirez told CNN.

Earlier, the New York Police Department had confirmed the news of explosion on Twitter.

"The NYPD is responding to reports of an explosion of unknown origin at 42nd Street and 8th Ave, #Manhattan. The A, C and E line are being evacuated at this time. Info is preliminary, more when available," it tweeted.

The incident happened just days after President Trump sparked demonstrations across the world by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital city

It is notable that one of the largest demonstrations took place in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.