There are reports of a terror attack in New York City, after an explosion was felt Monday morning in a Subway station near Times Square.
Commuters said they felt a blast in the Subway tunnels underneath the Port Authority Bus Terminal around 7:30am. The bus terminal is a major transit hub for people commuting to and from New Jersey by bus, and is located just a block from Times Square.
Police have taken one man into custody, who was carrying a pipe bomb with a battery back, a source told the New York Post. He was injured when the bomb malfunctioned, but is alive and in stable condition, according to the FDNY.
The NYPD said that so far, it appears that just the suspect was injured.
While the suspect has not been identified by name, former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton told MSNBC’s Morning Joe that he’s a man in his 20s, possibly from Bangladesh.
He added that the suspect ‘supposedly was setting the device off in the name of ISIS’ and that it was ‘definitely a terrorist attack, definitely intended’.
There are reports of a possible terror attack in New York City
Firefighters at 42nd Street and 8th Avenue on Monday morning after an explosion in the Port Authority bus terminal transit tunnel
An NYPD police officer stands in front of gathered fire fighters outside the Port Authority terminal as commuters walk around them
Panicked commuters piled on to escalators to get out of the station after the explosion which occurred just after 7.30am
An explosion was felt in the Subway station underneath the Port Authority bus terminal Monday morning
Police have taken one man into custody who was wearing a device on him. So far the suspect is the only reported injury
Dozens of fire fighters flocked to the explosion site. They were matched in numbers by NYPD officers
CNN reports that it appears the Subway was not the intended target of the pipe bomb, and that it may have went off prematurely.
They also learned that the device was homemade and could have caused catastrophic damage if it went off as intended.
The Port Authority is the largest in the country and the busiest in the world – serving about 225,000 commuters a day.
The entire Port Authority Bus Terminal has been shut down, as well as the subway station underneath it.
Law enforcement agencies have responded to the scene and have set up a perimeter around the area. Commuters are being urged to stay away from the area.
Commuters were still rushing out of the station at shortly after 8am. The explosion was reported at 7.30am
This was the chaotic scene at the Port Authority bus station on Monday morning as commuters fled the explosion
The Port Authority bus terminal is a major transit hub in Midtown Manhattan
Dozens of ambulances were on the scene but its unclear if there were more casualties
The blast happened less than a week after President Trump sparked violence in the Middle East by officially recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city.
Palestinians leaders vowed ‘three days of rage’ to protest the controversial decision.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted Monday morning that the president had been briefed on the situation.
The scene on Monday morning as NYPD officers and fire fighters continued to work at the scene
Commuters carried on amid the chaos which unfolded in one of Manhattan’s busiest spots for tourists and residents alike
Port Authority Police were also on hand in addition to NYPD officers. They ushered commuters out of the building
Commuters marched out onto 8th Avenue shortly after 8am. They came off buses which were already on their way when the explosion occurred
There was a variety of NYPD vehicles at the scene shortly after the explosion
In the tunnel which runs between the bus terminal and Penn Station, there was chaos and confusion
There were few commuters at Penn Station after the incident. Trains are now bypassing Times Square and Port Authority while investigators continue to work at the scene
Above, a look at the Port Authority Bus terminal in March