New York explosion: 29 injured in 'intentional bomb blast', with second device found in Manhattan
Thousands of people were milling around one of Manhattan’s most fashionable areas when the blast ripped through the area shortly after 8.30pm local time.
It is understood to have originated from a device placed in a metal container - a skip or a large builder's toolbox - outside the Associated Blind Housing facility at 135 West 23rd Street.
A second device was found four blocks away on West 27th Street. It was described by a law enforcement official as a pressure-cooker with protruding wires and a cellphone attached to it. It was taken from the scene by a bomb removal robot.
Police have not said what, if any, forensic evidence they've collected from that device.
An unnamed law enforcement official told Fox News on Sunday that the bombs in New Jersey and New York were "from the same person". But the claim could not be independently confirmed.
The devices in both explosions included mobile phones. The New Jersey device contained evidence of a black powder explosive. Whilst a source told the Associated Press that the New York device had used Tannerite, an explosive which is often used in target shooting to mark a shot with a cloud of smoke and small explosion.
People living on West 27th Street were instructed to stay away from their windows while the device was investigated.
Police combed, aided by sniffer dogs, combed rubbish bins to ensure there were no other devices.
Earlier in the day there was an explosion at Seaside Park, New Jersey - 83 miles away - which was timed to disrupt a Marine Corps charity run.
Bill de Blasio, New York’s mayor, said the blast in Chelsea was an “intentional act” but he insisted that there was no credible terrorist threat to the city and said there was no link with the New Jersey explosion.
The Joint Terrorism Task Force has been called in to investigate the Chelsea blasts well as the New Jersey incident.
Hillary Clinton, his Democrat opponent, strongly condemned what she described as "the apparent terrorist attacks in Minnesota, New Jersey, and New York" and said Islamic State's claim of responsibility for the St Cloud attack should "steel our resolve to protect our country and defeat Isis [also known as Islamic State and Isil] and other terrorist groups."
President Barack Obama, who was attending a congressional dinner in Washington, "has been apprised of the explosion in New York City, the cause of which remains under investigation", a White House official said.
"The president will be updated as additional information becomes available," the official added.
Comments
Post a Comment
Post Your Comment