Strapped to a stretcher, the ISIS-inspired suicide bomber who targeted subway 'because it had Christmas posters and used festive lightbulb in device'
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A man accused of detonating a self-built pipe bomb beneath New York's Time Square targeted the location because it had Christmas-themed posters, it was reported.
A new photo shows the suspect, Akayed Ullah, 27, strapped to a gurney as he was transported to hospital with burns and lacerations following the failed suicide bombing.
Four others were injured when he allegedly set off a crude bomb that was strapped to his torso and made from a 5in pipe, nine-volt battery, sugar, match heads, Christmas tree lights and screws.
Sources told US media that Ullah was inspired by previous ISIS terror attacks at Christmas and was seeking revenge over US airstrikes against the terror group in the Middle East.
Ullah, an immigrant from Bangladesh who was a permanent resident in the US, was also said to have been angry over Israeli action in Gaza.
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Officials said the former limousine driver learned to build a bomb on the internet at his flat in Brooklyn, and they believe he was self-radicalised after entering the US almost seven years ago, most likely be watching propaganda online.
He told investigators he chose the location - an underground pedestrian corridor at one of the busiest transport hubs in the world - because it had Christmas-themed posters, recalling Christmastime attacks in Europe, the New York Times reported.
He also said he set off the bomb in retaliation for US airstrikes on ISIS targets in Syria and elsewhere, the Times added, while CNN reported that the suspect carried out the attack due to recent Israeli action in Gaza.
A pro-ISIS propaganda channel has suggested the attack was in retaliation to US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
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The terror group had previously warned of attacks in New York and European cities over the holidays.
Ullah reportedly told investigators that he carried out the attack in the name of ISIS, and sources told the New York Daily News he had no direct contact with the terror group.
A source said: "He says he acted alone. He's said he's been following ISIS on the internet and reading [al-Qaeda's online] Inspire magazine.
“He found the instructions for the bomb online.”
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He suffered burns to his hands and abdomen, and lacerations. He was being treated in hospital and was in a serious condition, but was expected to survive.
The blast at the height of the morning commute was captured on CCTV inside the walkway between Times Square and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan.
A photo taken moments later shows Ullah in a foetal position with his burned stomach exposed.
There were scenes of chaos as thousands of terrified commuters and tourists fled the area in a stampede, with some being trampled as they tried to escape.
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It was reported that the "low tech" bomb was hidden under the suspect's jacket and only partially-detonated.
Two officers grabbed him and removed the explosives and wires which were attached to his body.
Ullah told investigators that he made the bomb at the electrical company where he works, it was reported.
The bomb comprised a 5in piece of pipe, a nine-volt battery, sugar, match heads, Christmas tree lights and screws, sources told the New York Post, adding that the device failed to go off as planned.
Veronica Chavez, 45, one of the victims of the attack, was just steps away from the bomber as she was on her way to work at a factory.
Her brother Alfonso Chavez, 42, told the Post: "[It was] awful because she saw people fall to the ground. She saw dust everywhere. She saw people under debris. She’s nervous, she’s scared. Like everyone else, we’re angry."
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Sources told US media that Ullah arrived in the US on a family immigrant visa in February 2011 and had been living in Brooklyn, where his residence in the Ocean Parkway neighbourhood was being searched.
He was said to be a permanent US resident with legal status. He worked as a livery driver until his licence lapsed in 2015.
Ullah was from Chittagong in south-eastern Bangladesh and last visited the country on September 8, a police official in the country told Reuters.
He had no criminal record there, and sources in the US told Reuters there was no information indicating he was previously known to intelligence or law enforcement services.
His neighbours told the Post that they heard loud fighting coming from his family's home in recent days.
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Ullah lived with his parents on the main floor, while his brother and sister lived upstairs one neighbour said.
Landlord Alan Butrico, 55, whose tenants live next door, said: "There was a lot of screaming and yelling."
He said one tenant told him "there was a big blow-up last night".
Kat Mara, 63, who works near the family’s home, added: "He is very aloof. He looked weird... always angry. He always seemed like he had something on his mind.’"
State Governor Andrew Cuomo described Ullah as "disgruntled" and a "lone wolf", similar to the suspect in the most recent attack in New York, when an Uzbek immigrant driving a rented truck ran over people on a bicycle path on Halloween, killing eight.
Mr Cuomo told CNN that the suspect obtained the bomb-making directions from the internet.
The governor also said Ullah was "not really part of a sophisticated network".
Trump, meanwhile, said the attack highlights the "urgent need" for Congress to enact immigration reform legislation.
Trump said in a statement the suspect had entered the US on a family immigrant visa, benefiting from a U.S. policy known as chain migration, which the president said "is incompatible with national security".