New York left shaken by ‘intentional’ explosion as second device found

An explosion rocked the bustling Chelsea district of Manhattan on Saturday night, injuring at least 29 people in what authorities described as a deliberate, criminal act, while saying investigators had turned up no evidence of a “terror connection.” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and other city officials said investigators had ruled out a gas leak as the cause of the blast, but they stopped short of calling it a bombing and declined to specify precisely what they believed may have triggered the explosion. Police said a sweep of the neighborhood following the blast had turned up a possible “secondary device” four blocks away consisting of a pressure cooker with wires attached to it and connected to a cell phone. CNN, citing law enforcement sources, reported that a piece of paper with writing on it was found nearby. Residents living nearby were advised to stay away from windows facing the street as a precaution, and the item was later safely moved to a police firing range for further examination, officer Christopher Pisano said. Pressure cookers packed with explosives and detonated with timing devices were used by two Massachusetts brothers in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people and wounded more than 260.

There is no specific and credible threat against New York City at this point in time from any terror organization.

Bill de Blasio, New York City Mayor

The explosion quickly became an issue in the presidential race, with Republican candidate Donald Trump remarking about the explosion when he appeared at a Colorado rally. “Just before I got off the plane, a bomb went off in New York, and nobody knows exactly what’s going on,” Trump said an hour before New York officials spoke publicly about the blast. Democratic rival Hillary Clinton made a statement on her campaign plane on the ground in New York, saying she had been briefed on “the bombings in New York and New Jersey.” But she said she would wait until she had more information before commenting further.

Nobody knows exactly what’s going on, but boy, we are living in a time - we better get very tough, folks.

Donald Trump, Republican presidential nominee

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