NYC subway bomb suspect faces federal charges
Posted December 12, 2017 6:51 am.
Last Updated December 12, 2017 11:35 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
NEW YORK – An immigrant from Bangladesh arrested on charges of using a weapon of mass destruction in the New York City subway system in a suicide attack has been charged in federal court.
Akayed Ullah was expected to appear before a magistrate judge after a criminal complaint was made public Tuesday. A criminal complaint in Manhattan federal court says Ullah told authorities he “did it for the Islamic State.”
Federal authorities charged him in Monday’s failed suicide bombing with providing material support to terrorists and using weapons of mass destruction. It left Ullah with burns to his body and hands and three pedestrians with harmed hearing and headaches. According to the complaint, Ullah posted on his Facebook account Monday: “Trump you failed to protect your nation.”
It was not immediately clear who would represent Ullah in court.
Authorities say he set off a bomb in an underground passageway near Times Square.
The New York Police Department says Ullah has also been charged with supporting an act of terrorism. The NYPD said this morning on Twitter that Akayed Ullah also has been charged with making a terroristic threat and weapon possession.
Three other people were injured and they suffered ringing in ears and headaches. Ullah suffered burns to his body and hands. He is talking with police.
His family says they were horrified of the news.
Deputy Commissioner for Counterterrorism and Intelligence John Miller said on CBS “This Morning” on Tuesday that Ullah was not on police or the FBI’s radar before yesterday morning’s bombing.
He says it’s getting harder and harder to defend against such acts because would-be terrorists are going online to read propaganda without speaking with any larger group.
Bomb-sniffing dogs are part of the police presence today, as commuters resume their daily activities in the wake of the blast.
The passageway connecting the Port Authority bus terminal and the Times Square subway station is back in use, one day after a bomb exploded there.
Maintenance worker Jorge Garcia, who was taking the “7” train out of Times Square today, says he’s gotten used to security concerns. He says he was about three blocks away when the World Trade Center came down.
Garcia says he tries not to think about “the negative stuff” so he can “have a positive day.”
Law enforcement officials say the 27-year-old suspect came to the U.S. from Bangladesh seven years ago with a type of preferential visa for people with relatives who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
