The Bangladeshi suspect in Monday’s pipe bomb explosion beneath New York’s Times Square is an angry former limousine driver who learned to build a bomb on the internet at his Brooklyn apartment, officials said.
Akayed Ullah, 27, was in police custody after he was injured by a pipe bomb he fastened to his torso with Velcro and zip ties. Three other people were also hurt in the blast in a pedestrian tunnel linking two subway stops beneath West 42nd Street, officials said.
One neighbour in the Brooklyn neighbourhood of Windsor Terrace said she had not seen him in months but described his home as quiet and observant in Islamic customs. She saw no evidence of extremism.
“They are really nice people. This is shocking,” said the neighbour, Arlene Jograj, a teacher who had greeted Ullah in passing. “We all know each other. We have block parties. I have been over there for dinner parties after Ramadan. We are a really tight-knit street,” she said.