A huge explosion has occurred in New York.
The New York police department said “one male suspect” was injured and in custody after an explosion on the subway at 42nd Street and 8th Avenue in Manhattan.
A law enforcement official, speaking anonymously, told the Associated Press the explosion happened at about 7.30am.
The person arrested had a pipe bomb strapped to him when it went off on a subway platform, the official said. The suspect had non-life-threatening injuries, the official said.
The NYPD said no other injuries had been reported. The official who spoke to the AP said one other person on the platform sustained non-life threatening injuries.
A commuter who travelled through the Port Authority terminal at 42nd and 8th on Monday morning told the Guardian the explosion happened 60 seconds after they exited the building. A police officer told the commuter it was “a guy with a pipe-bomb”.
Subway lines were bypassing Port Authority and Times Square stations, the NYPD statement said, adding: “Avoid the area.”
In its initial statement on the incident, the NYPD it was “responding to reports of an explosion of unknown origin at 42nd Street and 8th Ave in Manhattan. The A, C and E line are being evacuated at this time.”
The fire department also said it was responding to the scene. In midtown, sirens could heard racing up 8th Avenue.
Port Authority is a subway and bus hub serving commuters from New Jersey and around New York City. According to the Port Authority website, about 230,000 bus passengers use the terminal each day.
One commuter told Reuters “there was a stampede up the stairs to get out” of the Port Authority building, adding: “Everybody was scared and running and shouting.”
The office of the New York mayor, Bill de Blasio, said: “The mayor has been briefed on the incident in midtown. The NYPD, FDNY and first responders are on the scene.”
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted that Donald Trump had also been briefed on the situation.
The explosion comes a month and a half after eight people were killed and more than a dozen were injured by the West Side Highway in Manhattan, when a truck was driven down a bike path.
The suspect in that attack pleaded not guilty to 22 counts including providing material support to the Islamic State group.
In September 2016, 30 people were injured when a bomb exploded after being left behind a dumpster on West 23rd Street, in the Chelsea neighbourhood. The suspect was found guilty in October, on eight charges.
Source:theguardian