New York explosion - as it happened: Donald Trump responds to attempted terror attack
How news of the attack unfolded
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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.”
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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.“
Mr Cuomo has said he is boosting security at high-profile spots statewide. The Democrat also suggests internet companies need to look at the access potential attackers have to what he calls "garbage and vileness" online.
The suspect in a pipe bomb explosion in New York City's subway system at one point had a license to drive for-hire vehicles.
Authorities have identified the attacker as 27-year-old Akayed Ullah.
New York City's Taxi and Limousine Commission says records show he had a for-hire license from March 2012 through March 2015. It then expired and wasn't renewed. At the time, a for-hire license did not allow someone to drive one of the city's yellow taxis.
The TLC says there are no records to indicate if he actually used the license to work as a car driver.
White House press secertary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has delivered a statement on this morning’s explosion in New York.
“This morning while New Yorkers were on their way to work,” she says, “a terrorist set off a pipe bomb.”
“Thankfully there were no life threatening injuries,” she says. She praises police and transit authorities, naming an undercover Port Authority officer, Jack Collins, who she says “apprehended the terrorist along with several other officers.”
She then turns the attempted attack to politics. She says it “underscores the need for Congress to work with the president on immigration reforms that enhance our public safety and border security.”
The attack suspect Akayed Ullah came into the US on a legal visa in 2011.
The suspect arrived in the US in 2011 with a F-43 family immigrant visa, Ms Sanders said, adding that he had a family member sponsor his visa.
“The president’s policy calls for an end to chain migration,” she says. “If his policy had been in place then this attacker would not have been allowed to come in the country.”
The details of Akayed Ullah's visa had not been made public.
The Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC has released a statement over the attack:
“Government of Bangladesh is committed to its declared policy of 'Zero Tolerance' against terrorism, and condemns terrorism and violent extremism in all forms or manifestations anywhere in the world, including Monday morning's incident in New York City.”
"A terrorist is a terrorist irrespective of his or her ethnicity or religion, and must be brought to justice.
Here is a statement from President Donald Trump on the attack:
"Today’s attempted mass murder attack in New York City—the second terror attack in New York in the last two months—once again highlights the urgent need for Congress to enact legislative reforms to protect the American people.
"First and foremost, as I have been saying since I first announced my candidacy for President, America must fix its lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country. Today’s terror suspect entered our country through extended-family chain migration, which is incompatible with national security. My Executive action to restrict the entry of certain nationals from eight countries, which the Supreme Court recently allowed to take effect, is just one step forward in securing our immigration system.
"Congress must end chain migration. Congress must also act on my Administration’s other proposals to enhance domestic security, including increasing the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, enhancing the arrest and detention authorities for immigration officers, and ending fraud and abuse in our immigration system. The terrible harm that this flawed system inflicts on America’s security and economy has long been clear. I am determined to improve our immigration system to put our country and our people first.
"Second, those convicted of engaging in acts of terror deserve the strongest penalty allowed by law, including the death penalty in appropriate cases. America should always stand firm against terrorism and extremism, ensuring that our great institutions can address all evil acts of terror."
The Associated Press is reporting that a pipe bomb that exploded in a crowded New York City subway passageway was ignited with a Christmas light, matches and a nine-volt battery.
Citing anonymous officials, the report says the short pipe was packed with explosive powder but didn't work as intended. The blast wasn't powerful enough to turn the pipe into deadly shrapnel.
A law enforcement official familiar with the investigation has told Reuters that investigators have found evidence that the suspect Akayed Ullah had allegedly watched Isis propaganda on the Internet.
And with that, we are ending our coverage for now. Thanks for reading.
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