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Attempted Suicide Bomb Terrorist Attack in New York City
According to a live press conference that I just watched, there was a suicide bomb terrorist attack in New York City this morning. Mayor Bill De Blasio described it as “an attempted terrorist attack.” At about 7:20 AM, police responded to reports of an explosion at a below-ground walkway near 42nd Street and 8th Avenue (i.e.., under Times Square). When they arrived, they found a seriously injured 27-year-old Akayed Ullah. In addition, three others who were nearby received minor injuries. Ullah was wearing an improvised, low-tech pipe bomb that was attached to his body with velcro and zip ties. The attack was captured on security footage, and the police say that Ullah intentionally exploded the device, which means he tried to carry out a suicide attack. The video, in the tweet below, shows that Ullah set off his bomb in a crowded passageway with dozens of commuters walking all around him. The potential for death and injury was clearly very high.
BREAKING VIDEO: Moment of explosion at 42nd St and 8th Avenue in Manhattan pic.twitter.com/JwygdnnwNb
— New York City Alerts (@NYCityAlerts) December 11, 2017
.@POTUS has been briefed on the explosion in New York City
— Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) December 11, 2017
Press conference begins at 9:15 in this video:
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When, if ever, will they start treating this as war, and not simply law-enforcement? The suicide bomber is manifestly not a US citizen. He should go to Guantanamo forthwith.
Trump’s fault, because there were never terrorist attacks in NYC before he recognized Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.
Thank God for incompetence on the part of this terrorist.
Thank God it wasn’t worse. Here’s a bit more info on the bomber:
#3 TheSockMonkey
This may actually have been done in protest of the Yankees hiring Aaron Boone — everything’s that much more over-the-top in NYC.
I am thankful that he did not kill anyone. However, we don’t know whether it’s because he’s incompetent. The 2010 Times Square Bomber failed to explode his bomb, but not because he was incompetent. He was unable to get the materials he needed because of laws that had been passed after 9/11. So he tried to substitute what he couldn’t purchase with something else. It was an educated guess, and it didn’t work out. Today’s attack really was a successful terrorist attack. Terrorism doesn’t require require deaths or even injuries to be effective. Suicide attacks are a whole new ball game…
I view incompetent terrorists as divine gifts – warnings to get our act in gear before we run out of chits.
We had this warning with the early Twin Towers bombers, not that we heeded it.
We need to start executing these terrorists. Even where there re no fatalities, Treason is still a capital crime.
Exactly.
http://michaelpramirez.com/predictable-hamas.html
Anyway, nothing to do with the Religion of Peace.
Them Presbyterians are up to something again.
I just know it.
Or the pure gift of getting Giancarlo Stanton for virtually a song. Anyone that’s not a Stinkees fan was probably driven mad enough this weekend to be a suicide bomber. ;-)
Hmm, let’s see. He was Muslim and an immigrant. Let’s all go on continuing the delusion about what and who are trying to kill us.
Let’s spend tax dollars on the best medical care we can for this monster.
That’s what we did for Tojo, which is fine with me.
What does “manifestly” mean in this context?
The more we lower the barrier to sending people to Gitmo, the more likely it will be used unjustly in the future. At some point the Democrats will win the presidency again. Do you want to give them precedent for sending “inconvenient” people away there without trial?
Telegraph headline: ”
Yup. It is those darn Bangladeshis.
I am trying to picture where exactly this was. Is that the big long underground walkway that connects the mega-sized Time Square subway station and the PABT? I have walked that many times. It’s about two blocks long. It’s not a short little walkway. Lotsa people walking through there. Do they have an idea if he was travelling from PABT to Times Sq, or vice versa? I would assume he was intending to go to Times Sq itself, not underground. It would have more damage and visual impact if he were to explode above ground in the middle of all that pedestrian traffic. I gotta believe he exploded early.
That was the first thing that popped into my head. The second thing – briefly – is that ISIS isn’t sending us their best people!
In terms of causing fatalities and injuries, an enclosed area is almost always better than an open one for a bomb; the explosion has nowhere to go, and consequentially does more damage.
Among the (countless) things that went wrong for the Wolf’s Lair plotters was that the meeting Hitler was attending was moved from the underground bunker to an-above ground venue. Because it was a hot day, they opened the windows, which only made it even less damaging.
Non-citizens should not have the same rights as citizens. If you engage in an act of war, then away you should go, with a military court.
Does/did anybody use the expression ‘attempted sucide?’ Because that’s one thing I would call it. It sounds like he was partially defeated by the changes in the laws in our country since 9/11, which have popular support. Has anybody alluded to the fact that this would-be suicide bomber helped prevent death and injury by shielding approximately 50% of the blast with his own body? (maybe I shouldn’t have said that…).
I too am thankful he did not kill anyone; I’m even thankful and amazed he did not manage to kill himself. Even were there no actionable intelligence that is likely to result, a person who carries a heinous act should be captured alive and live to face the consequences under the laws of this most liberty- and justice-loving country on Earth.
@bryangstephens, aliens have the same constitutional rights as citizens when they are on American territory. The federal government does not have the power to stifle their speech, seize their property, violate their due process, force them to testify against themselves in court or to quarter our troops, etc.
The actions available to the government to punish or otherwise remedy violations of our law caused by aliens in our territory are, however, different than those regarding citizens. Aliens can (and should be) deported if convicted and after serving their time in prison.
Non citizens should not have the American rights a citizens.
I am entitled to think that, regardless of how others interpret the Constitution.
However, enemy solders on our territory do not deserve all the rights etc. I assume you would not offer them that. This man is a solder for a foreign power, ISIS, yet not in uniform. He is therefore subject to execution for being a spy and saboteur under the rules of war.
Could you explain which rights this pertains to? Again, are you saying that a Brit visiting the US can have his (lawful) property seized without compensation or due process? Can he be forced to testify against himself in court? If not, why not?
His guilt needs to be determined before the sentence can be carried out. In this case, that should be extraordinarily easy.
I am 100% fine with him being executed when the court makes the (in this case) obvious verdict.
Did anyone notice that this mutant (I shouldn’t insult mutants) targeted a specific location because there were Christmas posters up on the walls? What did he expect to find in a predominantly Christian country?
Part 1: I was not giving specifics, I was (and am) making a general statement of principle. The specifics would have to be worked out, along whatever lines are in the best interest of Americans, not non-citizens. Let’s start with things like the “right” to unemployment insurance, and work our way in towards thinks like free speech. I will say this, I think that no non-citizen should have the right to come onto American soil and bad mouth America. If it is so bad, go home. Americans should have the right to deport anyone who is a non-citizen at the drop of a hat for any offence. The compact of the Constitution is between the American government and American citizens.
Part 2: Since he attacked us in a time of war (and the AMU is good enough for me, even though it does not say “war”), he should be treated as a soldier. Unless you are saying that any soldiers on American soil should automatically have trials, etc. which I don’t think you are saying. At the end of the day, this man attacked America, as a foreigner, there is no question that he did it, and as such, should be treated as a military prisoner, and subject to military justice, which should result in his execution.
Not that we bother to execute our own military muslims who turn on us, because we are too busy being blind to the truth.
Frankly we could never have won any wars in the past given how we fight them today. FDR sent Americans of a particular ethnicity to camps during a time of war. Now I’m not advocating that, but just compare today we just let any of the demographics of those we are in conflict with just waltz into our country. Something has gone terribly wrong with our nation. We no longer have a national identity.