New York pipe bomb suspect indicted on terrorism charges
A US grand jury indicted Akayed Ullah, 27, who attempted to detonate a pipe bomb strapped to his body in a busy New York City commuter hub in December, 2017.
A Bangladeshi man accused of attempting a suicide bombing in a busy New York City commuter hub in December was indicted on US terrorism charges by a grand jury on Wednesday.
The attempted attack was carried out in the name of Daesh.
Akayed Ullah, 27, faces charges that include supporting a foreign militant organisation, using a weapon of mass destruction and carrying out a militant attack against a mass transit system, according to an indictment filed in federal court in Manhattan.
He faces life in prison if convicted.
The culprit was previously charged in a criminal complaint filed by prosecutors shortly after his arrest last month. His court-appointed lawyer, Amy Gallicchio, could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday.
According to prosecutors, the culprit attempted to detonate a pipe bomb secured to his body in a pedestrian tunnel in the subway station in Manhattan's Times Square that is connected to the sprawling Port Authority Bus Terminal on the morning of December 11.
Self-radicalised?
The culprit was hospitalised for injuries suffered after the bomb ignited but failed to detonate as intended, while three other people suffered minor injuries, according to prosecutors.
He told police officers after the blast that he did it for Daesh, according to the criminal complaint.
Prosecutors said that the culprit, who has lived in the United States since 2011, began his self-radicalisation in 2014 when he started viewing pro-Daesh materials online.
Monirul Islam, head of the Bangladesh police's counterterrorism unit, said shortly after the attack in December that his country had found no evidence linking the culprit to militants in his home country.