An explosion in the heart of New York’s Chelsea neighborhood sent dozens to the hospital Saturday night.
Advertisement
The bomb detonated on Saturday in NY, and another device found nearby, were both shrapnel-filled pressure cookers – similar to the bombs used at the 2013 Boston marathon, reports say.
No global group had claimed responsibility “but it is very, very early in the investigation”, the state governor told reporters, reiterating what New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio had said hours after the blast.
PHOTOS: Explosion in ChelseaTwenty-nine people were injured in the blast that occurred on West 23rd Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday night – all but one of the injuries was minor.
The New Jersey device contained evidence of a black powder, while the device that exploded in Manhattan had residue from an explosive called Tannerite, said a federal law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss details of the ongoing investigation. Witnesses described hearing a deafening blast, and surveillance video footage captured images of nearby windows being blown out by the explosion as people sprinted away from the scene.
A bomb squad is investigating the second device, O’Neill told reporters on Sunday. Only one of the three pipe bombs detonated and no one was injured.
Police inspected the surrounding area for other explosive devices.
“We know there was a bombing”. The individual says members of the LGBTQ community are much more likely to commit suicide and society doesn’t seem to notice their deaths, according to Pix11.
All those hospitalised by the blast had been released as of Sunday morning, but the damage to surrounding buildings was stealthy.
Ambulances arriving at some local hospitals were being checked by armed guards.
What we don’t know: Some of the victims closest to the explosion were at a loss for how the blast occurred.
“I was driving a vehicle and next thing you know I felt an explosion”, he said.
What’s the latest on the investigation?
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said: “Whoever placed these bombs, we will find them and they will be brought to justice”.
The latest blast came less than a week after law enforcement agencies around the country were on heightened alert for the 15th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, airline-hijacking attacks that killed almost 3,000 Americans in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
Shortly after making his remarks, Cuomo toured the neighbourhood with mayor Bill de Blasio, seeking to ease the concerns of residents who remained on edge.
An AFP photographer said there was lots of debris, including rubble and glass on 23rd Street, where the explosion happened. Investigators tell our sister station NY1 they are not sure how credible the claim is.
As investigators watched for clues, local officers and federal agents shined flashlights and guide dogs through the streets in hopes of finding out further information about the explosion. “A personal motivation? We do not know”.
Numerous injuries on Saturday were caused by shrapnel from the explosion.
What we know: The explosion was so loud that it reverberated across the Hudson River all the way to Hoboken, New Jersey, according to social media users. He added: “When you see the damage, I think we were fortunate that there were no fatalities”.
The preliminary belief of investigators is that the blast was caused by an explosive device in or near a dumpster, a law enforcement source told CNN.
The Post also reports that, according to their sources, “a hand-written letter, a portion of which is in Arabic, was found inside a plastic bag that held the second device”.
NYPD Commisoner James O’Neill says there have been 29 injured as a result of the explosion.
Who’s responsible for the explosion?
While Cuomo said the explosion Saturday night was an act of terror, he also said there is no known imminent threat to the city.
Advertisement
During a news conference Sunday afternoon, de Blasio said there was no “specific evidence at this point in time” connecting the bombings, but that authorities are still investigating the possibility.
