The race was canceled after the blast, and authorities quickly determined that the explosion was more than a prank because of the sophistication of the device, which had multiple pipe bombs wired together, though only one went off. Police searched for clues to a motive. He is believed to be a New Jersey resident.
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Elizabeth Mayor Christian Bollwage says county authorities told him that the officers shot in Linden are expected to be OK. A second, very similar device was discovered later just a few blocks away and was removed before it could be set off.
Earlier Saturday, a pipe bomb blew up in Seaside Park, New Jersey, before a charity race to benefit Marines.
The discovery of the five bombs in Elizabeth, one of which detonated as a bomb squad robot attempted to disarm it, follows a weekend of attacks.
Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor service is operating on a modified schedule. They said the men were believed to be connected to the Manhattan pressure cooker bombs, but did not elaborate on how.
The backpack had up to five devices, Elizabeth’s mayor Chris Bollwage said.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said that the bombs have similarities, suggesting “there might have been a common linkage”.
Both bombs in New York 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. There was no report of injuries following the explosion. Amtrak service is now suspended in Elizabeth as a precaution.
There has been a loud explosion in the area of the scene of a police investigation of a suspicious device found near at New Jersey train station.
A source tells CBS News three cellphones with the two NY devices and one associated with the Seaside Park device are described as flip phones. Senior law enforcement sources say officials are looking into whether anyone else may have been involved.
Reporters for NJ.com and NBC reported the blast shortly after 12:30 a.m. Monday. The explosion only occurred when the police robot cut one of the wires on the device.
“Our customers are safe and trains have been brought into stations to allow passengers to disembark and seek alternate transportation”.
About 10 minutes later, surveillance video shows the same man with what appears to be the same duffel bag on West 27th street, multiple law enforcement sources said. The bomb squad was called in and a drone examined the package.
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The New York Times reports that more than 2,000 Amtrak and NJ Transit passengers were affected by the investigation.
