One of the devices in the package detonated early Monday morning while the bomb squad’s robot was attempting to defuse the device.
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On the day suspicious backpacks containing five explosive devices were found in New Jersey’s Elizabeth city, the NY police said on Monday they are looking for an Afghan national for the Chelsea bombing that injured 29 persons. The men took the backpack “because they thought it was of some value”, walked for a bit, then saw wires and a pipe, dropped the package and notified Elizabeth police, he said.
Although the explosion was not controlled, there were no reported injuries. The mayor warned that other explosions were expected.
NJ Transit service was suspended early Monday between Newark Liberty Airport and Elizabeth, and New Jersey-bound Amtrak trains were being held at New York Penn Station, officials said, while New York-bound Amtrak trains were being held in Trenton.
A second explosion, this one injuring 29, occurred Saturday night in the Chelsea section of New York City around 8:30 PM. It exploded while being examined at around 12:40 a.m., Elizabeth Mayor Christian Bollwage told the media.
Ahmad Khan Rahami of Elizabeth, New Jersey, was taken into custody after firing at police officer in Linden, New Jersey, about 20 miles outside New York, Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage said.
“This was an explosive device” containing as many as five devices, Bollwage said.
Federal and local authorities were also investigating another suspicious item in the vicinity, CNN reported.
Meanwhile, five people were arrested in Brooklyn during a traffic stop last night in connection with Saturday’s explosion and were believed to be heading to the airport with guns in their auto.
Passengers said they were stuck on trains for hours Sunday night.
Law enforcement sources told NBC News that the device appeared similar to the one that exploded in Seaside Park, New Jersey, Saturday morning before a road race for Marines.
“I don’t have the expertise to determine the blast function of that, but based on the loudness, I think people could have been severely hurt or injured if they were in the vicinity when that went off”.
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More details emerged about the NY bombing overnight, with several USA media sites claiming that the explosives were described as being pressure cookers filled with shrapnel, the same method used in the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. He is believed to be a New Jersey resident.
