Bomb techs from the FBI, Union County, & the New Jersey State Police have arrived on the scene and are now rendering the area safe.
Advertisement
The explosion happened in Chelsea, Manhattan, on Saturday.
The discovery of the suspicious package came a day after an explosion in Manhattan injured 29 people, and an unexploded pressure-cooker device was found four blocks away in New York City. Earlier Saturday a pipe bomb exploded in a trash can in Seaside Park, N.J. No one was injured in that blast.
Elizabeth Mayor Christian Bollwage said the Federal Bureau of Investigation was working to disarm one of five devices found in the same bag in a trash can by two men at around 8:30 p.m. Sunday near the Elizabeth train station. Men had found the backpack earlier, walked it around the corner, thinking there was something of value in it, but when they opened it, they saw wires and a pipe in the bag.
There were no reports of injuries.
It wasn’t immediately clear if there was a connection between the dwelling and the blast at the Elizabeth train station at around 12:30 a.m. Monday. Two homeless men discovered the Elizabeth bombs in a backpack in a garbage can by the NJ Transit rail station. “I don’t believe the City of Elizabeth at this stage – was a target”, he said, according to WUNF.
Passengers said they were stuck on trains for hours Sunday night. A bomb in Seaside Heights, New Jersey also exploded Saturday morning in a trashcan along the route of a planned Marine 5K run.
A law enforcement official says the Afghan immigrant wanted in connection with explosions in New York City and New Jersey has been taken into custody following a shootout with police officers.
There was no immediate evidence as to what motivated the bombings and there was no indication that an extremist cell was operating in the area, William Sweeney, an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, told a news conference in NY.
The FBI’s NY branch tweeted that officers “did a traffic stop of a vehicle of interest” but “no one has been charged with any crime”.
Both bombs were filled with shrapnel and made with pressure cookers, flip phones, Christmas lights and explosive compound, The New York Times reported late Sunday, citing law enforcement officials.
“He could be armed and risky”, de Blasio said, warning that residents should be vigilant and report sightings to authorities.
Advertisement
The attacks came as world leaders prepared to gather at the United Nations in NY for the annual General Assembly this week, just days after the 15th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
