No immediate connections were established between the Minnesota attack and the bombings in NY and New Jersey.
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Twenty-nine people were injured when a bomb exploded in New York’s upmarket Chelsea neighbourhood on Saturday night, damaging buildings, shattering glass and sending shrapnel flying across the street.
Bombings in NY and New Jersey over the weekend – as well as the discovery of several unexploded devices – have led authorities to believe there may be a terror cell at work in those two states, law enforcement officials told CNN Monday.
In the midst of a presidential election where worldwide terrorism has emerged as major issue, Republican Party candidate Donald Trump was was quick to describe the explosion as a “bomb” within minutes of it happening and added, “and nobody knows exactly what’s going on, but boy, we are living in a (dangerous) time”.
‘We’ve been in touch with various officials including in the mayor’s office in NY to learn what they are discovering as they conduct this investigation and I’ll have more to say about it when we actually have the facts, ‘ she said.
Officials in NY and New Jersey said Sunday they were still investigating who was behind the explosions and what the motivation was, while the Minnesota attack was being investigated as a possible act of terrorism.
The former secretary of state noted that the Islamic State militant group had asserted responsibility for the stabbings of nine people Saturday inside a mall in St. Cloud, Minn., about 70 miles northwest of Minneapolis.
The FBI is investigating Minnesota attack as a potential act of terrorism.
Thirty minutes before the terrorist attack on the Uri army base in India, an explosion described by an official as “terrorist” rocked the city Saturday night injuring 29 people in the midst of a tense election campaign and as the United Nations prepared for its annual summit.
There has been no claim for the bombings in Manhattan or New Jersey, but a jihadist-linked news agency claimed that an IS “soldier” carried out the Minnesota stabbing.
Mr Christie defended Mr Trump’s initial comments on the incident, saying on CNN, “I don’t think you have to defer when saying that there was an explosion and a bomb in NY”.
Police confirmed that the assailant asked some victims whether they were Muslim before attacking them and made “references to Allah”.
Yesterday, Republican nominee Donald Trump appeared to pre-empt New York City officials when he declared that a “bomb went off” in New York City before officials had released details.
“We know it’s a very serious incident, but we have a lot more work to do to be able to say what kind of motivation was behind this”, Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters. He said that the investigation was ongoing and that it was not possible now to determine if the motivation was “political or personal” and appealed for patience.
Fifteen years after the September 11, 2001 attacks, officials stress that the United States is safer from terror plots that originate from overseas but more at risk from the lone-wolf attack perpetrated by individuals who may be inspired by IS or Al-Qaeda propaganda.
Investigators were probing possible links between the attacks, which came as world leaders begin converging on NY for the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.
Elizabeth is about 16 miles southwest of New York City.
In the latest incident, five potential explosive devices were found in a backpack left in a trash can near a train station and a bar in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Mayor Christian Bollwage told reporters. “We have to let this investigation unfold”.
NEW YORK – Three attacks carried out in the USA on a single day – a New York bombing, a Minnesota mass stabbing and a New Jersey pipe bomb blast – were under investigation on Sunday for potential terrorist links.
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The Republican presidential nominee made the comments around 9.10pm, shortly after the explosion as emergency officials were responding to the blast.
