Update, 1:15 p.m.: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that while “a bomb exploding in New York is obviously an act of terrorism,” there was still no evidence of an international link. No terrorist group has taken responsibility for the blast, but members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force are investigating the explosion.
Although the blast was clearly an “intentional act” there is no “specific and credible threat against New York City,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
All the injured have been released from the hospital, Cuomo said.
Update, 8:18 a.m.: Hours after an apparent homemade bomb caused an explosion on the street in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan and injured 29 people, another potentially explosive device was located a mere four blocks away. The second device was a pressure cooker that had wiring and a cellphone attached. The device, found on West 27th Street, was inside a plastic bag, police sources tell numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal. There was also a piece of paper with writing that was either found inside the bag, according to the New York Daily News, or nearby, according to CNN.
The pressure cooker apparently resembled the devices that exploded in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, which killed three people and injured more than 260. The second device was removed with the help of a robot and transferred to a police firing range in the Bronx, reports the Associated Press. More information is likely when police give their next news conference scheduled for around noon on Sunday.
BuzzFeed’s Mexico bureau chief, Karla Zabludovsky, just happened to be vacationing in New York and staying at a hotel above the location where the second package was removed and tweeted video from the scene. (BuzzFeed editor-in-chief Ben Smith tweeted that she “booked the right hotel.”)
Although initial reports said none of the 29 people had suffered serious injuries, it turns out one person received a punctured wound that was considered serious. The others had the equivalent of “scrapes and other minor injuries,” reports Reuters.
Original post, 12:52 a.m.: A blast went off in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan on Saturday night, injuring 29 people. None of the injuries from the blast on West 23rd Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues appear to be life-threatening. There aren’t many details available yet, but New York Mayor Bill de Blasio made clear that the explosion was “an intentional act,” and so far at least they haven’t found any connection to terrorism. “All hands are on deck, there is no evidence of a terrorist incident,” he said. “There’s no evidence at this point of a terror connection.”
The explosion appears to have taken place in a dumpster. The New York Police Department’s counterterrorism bureau posted a photo on Twitter of a mangled bin.
A video purporting to be a clip from a security camera appears to show the moment of the explosion at the 23-second mark:
Police were also responding to reports of a possible second device. As a precaution, police are asking residents of West 27th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues to “stay away from windows.”
The explosion in Chelsea came hours after a pipe bomb exploded in Seaside Park, New Jersey shortly before a charity race. Authorities say they have found no evidence the two blasts are related.
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