Federal prosecutors charged Akayed Ullah on Tuesday with terrorism offenses and using a weapon of mass destruction.
The man suspected of detonating a makeshift bomb in a busy underground passageway in New York City on Monday faces federal charges for supporting a terrorist organization and using a weapon of mass destruction, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Akayed Ullah, a 27-year-old Brooklyn resident originally from Bangladesh, allegedly posted the message, “Trump you failed to protect your nation” to his Facebook page the morning of the attack, according to the federal complaint.
Ullah’s alleged attack occurred in the passageway connecting the Times Square and Port Authority subway stations in Manhattan around 7:30 a.m. local time. The explosion injured just three people in addition to Ullah, who was arrested at the scene.
Investigators believe Ullah was first radicalized around 2014, and began conducting internet research on how to build improvised explosive devices roughly one year ago.
The complaint said Ullah viewed pro-ISIS materials online, and watched a video instructing supporters to carry out attacks in their homelands if they were unable to travel overseas to join the terrorist group.
Ullah allegedly carried out his attack “to terrorize as many people as possible,” and even chose to attack on a Monday as he believed there would be more people on a workday, the complaint said.
Ullah carried out his alleged attack by affixing a pipe bomb filled with metal screws to his body using zip ties. He detonated it using Christmas tree lights, wiring, and a nine-volt battery, according to the complaint.
