“I want to say more broadly there is no specific or credible threat against NY city at this point in time from any terror organisation, so as we are analysing what happened here we have no credible threat at this moment”.
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The explosion went off early this morning on 23rd and 6th Avenue in the Chelsea neighbourhood of Manhattan, a bustling district in NY.
De Blasio said the blast was “an intentional act” and tried to calm any fears among nervous New Yorkers, saying the explosion had no terrorist connection and wasn’t related to a pipe bomb explosion earlier Saturday in New Jersey at a charity run.
Neha Jain, 24, who lives in the neighbourhood, said she was sitting at home watching a movie when she heard a huge boom and everything shook. Pictures of the second device show a pressure cooker attached to a wire and a mobile phone. Officials said 29 people were injured.
The explosion, described by one neighbour as “deafening”, happened outside the Associated Blind Housing facility, which provides housing, training and other services for the blind.
Residents living nearby were advised to stay away from windows facing the street as a precaution, and the item was later safely moved to a police firing range for further examination, Officer Christopher Pisano said.
Witnesses say Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security officials, along with the ATF arson and explosive task force are also at the scene.
Police had dealt with the individual on three earlier occasions but all for minor offences, he said.
A joint task force also took the lead in investigating the New Jersey incident.
The White House said President Barack Obama has been apprised of the explosion and will be updated as additional information becomes available.
Democratic rival Hillary Clinton made a statement on her campaign plane on the ground in NY, saying she had been briefed on “the bombings in NY and New Jersey”.
The Republican presidential candidate provoked criticism by moving ahead of officials and declaring a “bomb went off”. He made the announcement minutes after stepping off his plane during a rally at an airport hangar in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
“It wasn’t like jolting or anything, everyone just went quiet”.
More as we get it. We’ll find out. It’s a awful thing that’s going on in our world, in our country and we are going to get tough and smart and vigilant”, he said adding “We’ll see what it is.
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Clinton was referring to a pipe bomb that exploded in a New Jersey shore town and reports of a shooting and the stabbings of eight people at a Minnesota mall.
