New York subway bomber suspect charged with terrorist act

FEDERAL OFFICIALS have charged the man who attempted to bomb New York subway commuters for his alleged act of terrorism.

Akayed Ullah, 27, of Brooklyn, New York, and a permanent resident from Bangladesh, has been charged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in connection with Ullah’s attempted detonation of a bomb in a subway terminal near the New York Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City on Dec. 11. At least three people were injured as a result of what appears to be a botched detonation.

Akayed Ullah

"The Department of Justice is relentless in taking on the terrorist threat," said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. "In my time back at the Department, nothing has impressed me more.

"Since 9/11, the Department has convicted more than 500 criminals of terrorism-related offenses, and the FBI has open terrorism investigations in every state."  

“Yesterday, in the heart of rush hour, as thousands came into New York City through the Port Authority Bus Terminal, Akayed Ullah allegedly came with a hate-filled heart and an evil purpose: to murder as many innocent people as he could and blow himself up in the process, all in support of the vicious terrorist cause of ISIS,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim.

The suspected terrorist, who came to this country in 2011, was apparently radicalized by internet sites espousing radicalism, say law enforcement officials.

Ullah's homemade pipe bomb, which was attached to his clothing with Velcro and twist ties, malfunctioned seriously injuring Ullah and slightly three nearby commuters.

Ullah lived with his father, mother and brother in a Brooklyn neighborhood with a large Bangladeshi community. His wife still lives in Bangladesh.

“Although yesterday he allegedly stood in the tunnels under Port Authority plotting to kill, today he stands charged with federal crimes of terrorism.  Those alleged terrorists who target New York City do so because they feel threatened by the strength of our spirit, the height of our ambition and the breadth of our freedom.  They come seeking to sow hate, fear and terror.  But in New York City, they find instead strength, resilience and hope.  Like many before him, Akayed Ullah will also find another great American virtue: justice.  That justice will be tough, it will be fair and it will be swift.”

“The act of terror committed in New York City yesterday accomplished nothing,” said NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill.  “It has not changed our way of life. It was a cowardly act, fueled by a false sense of purpose — motivated by propaganda in the shadows of the internet.  What is clear is the resolve of New Yorkers to live in a free society, devoid of fear."