The Latest: Prosecutor: Bomb suspect wanted maximum damage

Author: AP
Published: Updated:
Police respond to a report of an explosion on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Charles Zoeller)

The Latest on the blast in the New York City subway system (all times local):

12:45 p.m.

A federal prosecutor says the man accused of setting off a bomb in the New York City subway system chose a time and place designed to cause maximum destruction – though it ultimately only caused minor injuries to three others.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim says the defendant, Akayed Ullah, will have a hospital court proceeding later Tuesday or Wednesday.

Federal officials say Ullah became radicalized through the internet about three years ago, started planning the Manhattan attack two to three weeks ago, and built the bomb a week ago.

Court documents say he mocked President Donald Trump on Facebook and possessed hand-scribbled sentiments referencing death and America.

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12:15 p.m.

President Donald Trump is reiterating his call to overhaul the nation’s immigration system in the aftermath of the blast in a New York City subway passageway.

Trump says at the White House on Tuesday that two recent incidents in New York City have involved attacks involving foreign nationals living in the U.S. on green cards. Trump says the first attacker came to the U.S. through the visa lottery program and the most recent attacker arrived through a family connection to an American citizen.

The president says the U.S. will end the immigration provisions “fast.” He says Congress “must get involved immediately” and is vowing that the two immigration programs “will be ended.”

Trump is praising New York law enforcement and first responders, saying, “They did an incredible job.”

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11:50 a.m.

U.S. prosecutors say a man charged with using a weapon of mass destruction in the New York City subway system mocked President Donald Trump on Facebook and possessed hand-scribbled sentiments referencing death and America.

Akayed Ullah was expected to appear before a magistrate judge after a criminal complaint was made public Tuesday.

Court documents say Ullah posted on his Facebook account Monday, the day of the Manhattan explosion: “Trump you failed to protect your nation.”

They also say a passport in Ullah’s name contained multiple handwritten notations. One of them said: “O America, die in your rage.”

It was not immediately clear who would represent Ullah in court.

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11 a.m.

An immigrant from Bangladesh arrested on charges of using a weapon of mass destruction in the New York City subway system in a suicide attack has been charged in federal court.

Akayed Ullah was expected to appear before a magistrate judge after a criminal complaint was made public Tuesday. A criminal complaint in Manhattan federal court says Ullah told authorities he “did it for the Islamic State.”

Federal authorities charged him in Monday’s failed suicide bombing with providing material support to terrorists and using weapons of mass destruction. It left Ullah with burns to his body and hands and three pedestrians with harmed hearing and headaches. According to the complaint, Ullah posted on his Facebook account Monday: “Trump you failed to protect your nation.”

It was not immediately clear who would represent Ullah in court.

Authorities say he set off a bomb in an underground passageway near Times Square.

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9:15 a.m.

The New York Police Department says the man accused of the subway bombing has been charged with supporting an act of terrorism.

The NYPD said Tuesday on Twitter that Akayed Ullah also has been charged with making at terroristic threat and weapon possession.

Federal charges are expected later.

Deputy Commissioner for Counterterrorism and Intelligence John Miller said on CBS “This Morning” on Tuesday that Ullah was not on police or the FBI’s radar before the Monday morning bomb in Times Square.

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9 a.m.

Bomb-sniffing dogs are part of the police presence as commuters resume their daily activities in the wake of the blast in a New York City subway passageway.

A passageway connecting the Port Authority bus terminal and the Times Square subway station is back in use Tuesday, one day after a bomb exploded there.

Maintenance worker Jorge Garcia, who was taking the “7” train out of Times Square on Tuesday, says he’s gotten used to security concerns. He says he was about three blocks away when the World Trade Center came down.

Garcia says he tries not to think about “the negative stuff” so he can “have a positive day.”

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8:20 a.m.

A passageway connecting New York City’s Port Authority bus terminal and the Times Square subway station is back in use the day after a bomb went off there.

Security remains tight citywide on Tuesday.

An NYPD official says the man accused of detonating the bomb was not previously known to authorities.

Deputy Commissioner for Counterterrorism and Intelligence John Miller said on CBS “This Morning” that Akayed Ullah wasn’t on police or FBI’s radar before the Monday morning bomb in Times Square.

He says it’s getting harder and harder to defend against such acts because would-be terrorists are going online to read propaganda without speaking with any larger group.

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7:50 a.m.

An NYPD official says the man accused of detonating a bomb in the New York City subway wasn’t known to authorities before the incident.

Deputy Commissioner for Counterterrorism and Intelligence John Miller said on CBS “This Morning” on Tuesday that Akayed Ullah wasn’t on police or FBI’s radar before the Monday morning bomb in Times Square.

He says it’s getting harder and harder to defend against such acts because would-be terrorists are going online to read propaganda without speaking with any larger group.

Authorities say Ullah intentionally set off the bomb in a long passageway connecting Seventh and Eighth Avenues near Times Square.

Only three other people were injured and they suffered ringing in ears and headaches. Ullah suffered burns to his body and hands. He is talking with police.

His family says they were horrified of the news.

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12:20 a.m.

A would-be suicide bomber’s rush-hour blast in the heart of the New York City subway system is adding new fuel to President Donald Trump’s push to limit immigration based on family ties.

Trump is renewing his criticisms of U.S. immigration policy after Monday’s explosion in a passageway in the sprawling Times Square subway station.

Suspect Akayed Ullah came to the U.S. from Bangladesh in 2011 on a visa available to certain relatives of U.S. citizens.

Trump says that program “is incompatible with national security.” Trump’s administration has called for limiting family-based green cards to spouses and minor children.

Authorities say Ullah was inspired by Islamic State extremists. The crude pipe bomb left him with burns and several other people with minor injuries.

His family says it’s “deeply saddened.”

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