More Details About The New York City Pipe Bomber
On Monday, December 11, 2017, Akayed Ullah set off a homemade pipe bomb that was strapped to his body in New York City's Port Authority station.
Ullah's Plan
As previously reported, "the bomb went off at 7:30 a.m. during rush hours on Monday, December 11, Eyewitness News reports the suspect’s name is Akayed Ullah and is currently in custody. New York City’s Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Ullah’s strike against the city was “an attempted terrorist attack.” "
During a live report, neighbors of Ullah told Eyewitness News that he was arrogant. The 27-year-old came to the United States six years ago on the family-based F4 visa and lived in Brooklyn. After arriving in New York City, Ullah became a yellow cab driver after obtaining a license from the Taxi Limousine Commision. In 2015, his license lapsed and he began working as an electrician. Investigators learned Ullah is married; his wife and son live in his native land of Bangladesh. Relatives revealed that he visited the country last year to see his wife and child but left them both behind when he traveled back to New York.
Family In Questioning
When the attack occurred, Ullah's wife, her parents, and uncle were taken in for questioning by Bangladesh's counterterrorism police. Since then, only her uncle has been released. Other family members of Ullah claim that "heavy-handed tactics" were used on them by investigators.
The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) released a statement on behalf of Ullah's family. The family slammed police for interrogating other members of their family.
"We are heartbroken by the violence that was targeted at our city today, and by the allegations being made against a member of our family," the statement read.
"But we are also outraged by the behavior of law enforcement officials who have held children as small as four years old out in the cold and who held a teenager out of high school classes to interrogate him without a lawyer, without his parents," the statement continued, remarking on how law officers questioned the children in their family.
"These are not the sorts of actions that we expect from our justice system, and we have every confidence that our justice system will find the truth behind this attack and that we will, in the end, be able to learn what occurred today. Thank you for your time."
Victims Of The Terrorist Attack
Ullah lived with his parents and brother in a Brooklyn community that had a large Bangladeshi population. He researched on the internet how to build a pipe bomb and told authorities that he was influenced by ISIS online propaganda to plan the attack.
The number of those who were injured during the explosion has risen. It was initially reported that three people suffered injuries but five people were hurt during the explosion. Victims have been treated and released.
Ullah is currently being treated at Bellevue Hospital for burns to his hands and abdomen.
