The U.S. Justice Department
released the below information:
Akayed Ullah, 27, of
Brooklyn, New York, and a lawful permanent resident from Bangladesh, has been
charged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in
connection with Ullah’s attempted detonation of a bomb in a subway terminal near
the New York Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City on Dec. 11. At least three people were injured as a
result of the detonation.
Attorney General Jeff
Sessions, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Dana J.
Boente, Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim for the Southern District of New York,
Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney Jr., of the FBI’s New York Field
Office and Commissioner James P. O’Neill of the NYPD made the
announcement. Ullah will be presented
before the Honorable Katharine H. Parker.
"The Department of
Justice is relentless in taking on the terrorist threat," said Attorney
General Sessions. "In my time back
at the Department, nothing has impressed me more. Since 9/11, the Department has convicted more
than 500 criminals of terrorism-related offenses, and the FBI has open
terrorism investigations in every state.
To make law enforcement’s job easier, however, Congress must finally fix
our broken immigration system so that we admit to this country those who are
likely to succeed, not violent criminals, gang members, terrorists, or their
sympathizers. The fact that somebody won a lottery or is someone’s relative
tells us nothing about their ability to assimilate. Nevertheless, the Department of Justice will
prosecute this case and every other case to the fullest extent of the law, and
we will bring those who threaten America to justice."
“Yesterday, in the heart of
rush hour, as thousands came into New York City through the Port Authority Bus
Terminal, Akayed Ullah allegedly came with a hate-filled heart and an evil
purpose: to murder as many innocent people as he could and blow himself up in the
process, all in support of the vicious terrorist cause of ISIS,” said Acting
U.S. Attorney Kim. “Although yesterday
he allegedly stood in the tunnels under Port Authority plotting to kill, today
he stands charged with federal crimes of terrorism. Those alleged terrorists who target New York
City do so because they feel threatened by the strength of our spirit, the
height of our ambition and the breadth of our freedom. They come seeking to sow hate, fear and terror. But in New York City, they find instead
strength, resilience and hope. Like many
before him, Akayed Ullah will also find another great American virtue:
justice. That justice will be tough, it
will be fair and it will be swift.”
“Akayed Ullah let loose his
plan to conduct a mass casualty attack, setting off a pipe bomb, strapped to
his body, inside a New York City subway terminal, as we allege today,” said
Assistant Director in Charge Sweeney.
Like many others before him, we believe Ullah was inspired by a group
that exploits technology in an effort to spread a violent ideology, effectively
convincing sympathizers to commit terrorist acts worldwide. The nature of this particular strain of the
terrorism threat can often mean evaluating behavior that doesn’t mean anything
until you combine it with other pieces of intelligence. We rely heavily upon the community’s
assistance to accomplish that task.”
“The act of terror committed
in New York City yesterday accomplished nothing,” said Commissioner
O’Neill. “It has not changed our way of
life. It was a cowardly act, fueled by a false sense of purpose — motivated by
propaganda in the shadows of the internet.
What is clear is the resolve of New Yorkers to live in a free society,
devoid of fear. I want to commend the
work of the NYPD-FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and the prosecutors in the
Southern District for bringing today’s charges.
Finally, our security requires every single member of the public’s
help. It requires their vigilance. And it requires their care. If you see something that doesn’t look right,
contact law enforcement.”
As alleged in the Complaint:
Islamic State of Iraq and
Al-Sham (ISIS)
ISIS is a foreign terrorist
organization based in the Middle East and Africa whose publicly stated purpose
is the establishment of an Islamic state or caliphate based in the Middle East
and Africa that encompasses all Muslims worldwide. ISIS has pursued the objective of an Islamic
state through, among other things, killing and deliberate targeting of
civilians, mass executions, persecution of individuals and communities on the
basis of their religion, nationality, or ethnicity, kidnapping of civilians,
forced displacement of Shia communities and minority groups, killing and
maiming of children, rape, and other forms of sexual violence. ISIS has recruited thousands of foreign
fighters from across the globe to assist with its efforts to expand its
so-called caliphate in Iraq, Syria, and other locations in Africa and the
Middle East, and has leveraged technology to spread its violent extremist
ideology and for incitement to commit terrorist acts.
The Dec. 11, Attack
On Dec. 11, at approximately
7:20 a.m., an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated inside a subway
terminal (the Subway Terminal) in or around the New York Port Authority Bus
Terminal located at West 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue in New York, New York
(the December 11 Attack). Shortly after
the blast, members of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police
Department located an individual later identified as Akayed Ullah lying on the
ground in the vicinity of the explosion. Surveillance footage captured Ullah
walking through the Subway Terminal immediately prior to the explosion, and
then falling to the ground after the explosion.
Ullah was subsequently taken
into custody by law enforcement. During
the course of Ullah’s arrest, law enforcement officers located on his person
and in the surrounding area what appeared to be the components of an exploded
pipe bomb (the Pipe Bomb). Specifically,
law enforcement located, among other items, (i) a nine-volt battery inside
Ullah’s pants pocket; (ii) wires connected to the battery and running
underneath Ullah’s jacket; (iii) two
plastic zip ties underneath Ullah’s jacket; (iv) several fragments of a metal
pipe, including pieces of a metal end cap, on the ground; (v) the remnants of
what appeared to be a Christmas tree lightbulb attached to wires; and (vi)
pieces of what appear to be plastic zip-ties, among other items.
After Ullah was taken into
custody, he was transferred to Bellevue Hospital, where he made statements to
law enforcement officers after waiving his Miranda rights. During that interview, Ullah stated, among
other things, the following:
Ullah constructed the Pipe
Bomb and carried out the Dec. 11 Attack. Ullah was inspired by ISIS to carry
out the Dec. 11 Attack, and stated, among other things, “I did it for the
Islamic State.”
Ullah constructed the Pipe
Bomb at his residence in Brooklyn (the Residence);
The Pipe Bomb was comprised
of a metal pipe, which Ullah filled with explosive material that he
created. Ullah used Christmas tree
lights, wires, and a nine-volt battery as a trigger to detonate the Pipe
Bomb. Ullah filled the Pipe Bomb with
metal screws, which he believed would cause maximum damage. Ullah used zip ties to secure the Pipe Bomb
to his body.
Ullah carried out the Dec. 11
Attack in part because of the United States Government’s policies in, among
other places, the Middle East. One of
Ullah’s goals in carrying out the Dec. 11 Attack was to terrorize as many
people as possible. He chose to carry
out the attack on a work day because he believed that there would be more
people.
Ullah’s radicalization began
in at least approximately 2014. Ullah
viewed pro-ISIS materials online, including a video instructing, in substance,
that if supporters of ISIS were unable to travel overseas to join ISIS, they
should carry out attacks in their homelands.
He began researching how to build IEDs on the Internet approximately one
year ago.
On the morning of Dec. 11,
shortly before carrying out the attack, Ullah posted a statement on his
Facebook account referring to the President of the U.S., stating, in substance,
“Trump you failed to protect your nation.”
Ullah also posted a statement that he believed would be understood by
members and supporters of ISIS to convey that Ullah carried out the attack in
the name of ISIS.
Items Recovered from Ullah’s
Residence
On Dec. 11, law enforcement
agents conducted a search of the Residence pursuant to a judicially authorized
search warrant. Law enforcement agents
recovered, among other items, (i) multiple pieces of metal pipes; (ii) pieces
of wire and fragments of what appear to be Christmas tree lights; (iii)
multiple screws consistent with the screws recovered at the scene of the
December 11 Attack; and (iv) a passport in Ullah’s name with multiple
handwritten notations, including: “O
AMERICA, DIE IN YOUR RAGE.”
Three individuals were
injured as a result of the Dec. 11 Attack.
*
* *
Ullah is charged in a
Complaint with one count of provision of material support and resources to a
designated foreign terrorist organization which carries a maximum sentence of
20 years’ imprisonment; one count of using and attempting to use a weapon of
mass destruction which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment; one
count of bombing and attempting to bomb a place of public use which carries a
maximum sentence of life imprisonment; one count of destruction of property by
means of fire or explosives, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five
years’ imprisonment and a potential maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment;
and use of a destructive device in furtherance of a crime of violence, namely,
the use and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction which carries a
mandatory minimum consecutive sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment and potential
maximum of life, all in connection with Ullah’s alleged detonation of an
explosive device in New York City.
Mr. Sessions, Mr. Boente and
Mr. Kim praised the outstanding investigative efforts of the FBI; the NYPD; the
Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and
the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s Police Department. Ullah’s arrest is the result of the close
cooperative efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of
New York, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force – which consists of law
enforcement officers of the FBI, NYPD, HSI and other agencies – and the U.S.
Department of Justice’s National Security Division.
The charges contained in the
Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless
and until proven guilty.
No comments:
Post a Comment