New York explosion - as it happened: Donald Trump responds to attempted terror attack

How news of the attack unfolded

Footage from scene of evacuated Manhattan area following reports of possible explosion

A man with a home-made pipe bomb strapped to his body set off an explosion in a New York subway station during morning rush hour, in what the city's mayor called an "attempted terrorist attack".

The suspect - identified as 27-year-old Akayed Ullah - was one of four people injured by the blast and has been detained. The pipe bomb ignited, but did not fully explode, leaving Ullah with lacerations and burns on his hands and abdomen and three victims being treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Police are now searching a number of addresses in Brooklyn connected to Ullah as they try and pin down a motive for the attack.

The blast occurred at about 7.20am (12.20pm GMT) in a passageway connecting subway lines near 42nd Street and 8th Avenue close to Times Square. The noise of the blast filled parts of the nearby Port Authority Bus Terminal, which was evacuated along with a number of subway lines.

“When we hear of an attack in the subways, it’s incredibly unsettling,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters. “And let’s also be clear, this was an attempted terrorist attack. Thank God the perpetrator did not achieve his ultimate goals.”

Please allow the liveblog to load...

The suspect Ullah is said to have made statements after the explosion that led officials to believe he could have been inspired by overseas terror groups, most likely Isis. However, when asked about these at a news conference the New York Police Commissioner James O'Neill declined to go into detail, saying they were a focus of the investigation. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Ullah arrived to the US from Bangladesh about seven years ago and had been licensed to drive a for-hire taxi cab between 2012 and 2015, according to law enforcement officials and NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission.

He is said to be speaking with investigators from his hospital bed, police said.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has told CNN that the suspect in the attack was “disgruntled” and “went to the internet to try and get information about how to make a home-made bomb”.

The governor earlier told a news conference: “The first news this morning was obviously very frightening and disturbing... When you hear about a bomb in the subway station, it is in many ways one of our worst nightmares. The reality turns out to be better than the initial expectation and fear.”

Mr Cuomo said that New Yorkers should be alert but go about their lives.

“Let's go back to work,” he added. “”We're not going to allow them to disrupt us.“

Key Points

12.50pm: NYPD police respond to reports of blast in Manhattan

[11 December 2017 15:12 · Steve Anderson]

Police Commissioner James O'Neil added: "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".

[11 December 2017 15:23 · Steve Anderson]

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio assured that there are no other threats against the area in the hours after the explosion.

"At this point in time, all we know of is one individual who, thank God, was unsuccessful in his aims," Mr de Blasio said.

"There are also no credible and specific threats against New York City at this time. But we will give you more information, of course, as the investigation unfolds," Mr de Blasio said.

[11 December 2017 16:07 · Steve Anderson]

New York City has reopened its subways amid heightened city-wide security after a man with a pipe bomb strapped to him caused an explosion in an underground passageway in the Times Square area during the morning rush hour. 

Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Joseph Lhota said trains on the Seventh and Eighth avenue lines were still bypassing the Times Square corridor as the investigation proceeded Monday morning. But he says overall service is back to normal. 

[11 December 2017 16:07 · Steve Anderson]

Members of the New York Police Department forensics team were seen walking on 8th Avenue near the scene of an explosion that occurred at Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan

[11 December 2017 16:36 · Steve Anderson]

  ↵Here is an explainer on the New York explosion:

[11 December 2017 16:50 · Steve Anderson]

Port Authority explosion suspect Akayed Ullah told police he made the device at his workplace, according to a senior New York law enforcement official who was speaking to CNN

[11 December 2017 18:07 · Steve Anderson]

The 27-year-old man believed to have set off a pipe bomb in the New York City subway came to the US from Bangladesh seven years ago with a type of preferential visa for people with relatives who are US citizens or permanent residents, according to the Associated Press, citing sources.

[11 December 2017 18:08 · Steve Anderson]

Akayed Ullah, the man suspected of trying to bomb New York City's Port Authority, had no criminal record in Bangladesh and last visited his home country in September, Bangladesh's police chief told Reuters.

Inspector General of Police A K M Shahidul Haque said the information was based on his passport number.

[11 December 2017 18:16 · Steve Anderson]

Police are stepping up patrols at Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority train stations after a pipe bomb went off in a crowded subway corridor in New York City. 

Boston police say that while there doesn't appear to be a specific threat to the area at this time, police are increasing their presence at major MBTA train stations. 

[11 December 2017 18:20 · Steve Anderson]

Governor Andrew Cuomo has told CNN that the suspect in the attack was “disgruntled” and “went to the internet to try and get information about how to make a home-made bomb”.