Akayed Ullah, a 27-year-old man living in New York City, detonated a homemade pipe bomb in a walkway at the Port Authority Bus Terminal near Times Square during the morning rush on Monday, December 11. It is believed that the explosion was an attempted terror attack, according to The New York Times.

New York City police apprehended Ullah shortly after the homemade pipe bomb exploded at 7:02 a.m. The bomb was strapped to Ullah with zip ties and velcro; the blast injured Ullah and three other civilians in the terminal at 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue.

CNN reports that Ullah told investigators that he carried out the attack in response to Israeli actions in the Gaza strip. Tensions have been particularly high in the region of late in part because of President Donald Trump's recent decision to move the American embassy to Jerusalem, formally recognizing the city as the capital of Israel and Israeli property.

Law enforcement officials have discovered that Ullah is of Bangladeshi descent, that he lives in Brooklyn and that he had a Taxi & Limousine Commission license from March 2012 to March 2015 that was never renewed. 

In video from the horrific incident, bystanders can be seen going to their destinations prior to the explosion. Then a cloud of smoke and ash overtakes the camera; as it clears, you can see bystanders running to safety. Ullah can be seen in the video down on the ground. 

Port Authority Police Department Officer Jack Collins, who was undercover at the time, looking for children being trafficked at the bus terminal, apprehended Ullah, ABC News reports. Collins was assisted by three other officers: Sean Gallagher, Anthony Manfredini and Drew Preston.

Officers approached the man and noticed wires coming from his clothing. They said Ullah reached for his phone, but stopped after officers commanded him to do so. The suspect was not fired upon while being apprehended, authorities state. 

One New Yorker at the scene, John Frank, said that the blast was strong enough to be felt through the sidewalk. The Times talked to him as he recovered, and he lamented the frequency with which terror attacks seem to be occurring.

“In New York City, we are vulnerable to a lot of things,” Frank said. “These incidents are happening too frequently.”

The city's mayor, Bill de Blasio, said his city isn't the target of terrorists by chance.

“The choice of New York is always for a reason, because we are a beacon to the world," the mayor said. "And we actually show that a society of many faiths and many backgrounds can work. The terrorists want to undermine that. They yearn to attack New York City.”

The Joint Terrorism Task Force, a partnership between federal and local law enforcement officials, has started an investigation into the incident.

And Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen promised immediately after the attack that, “the Department of Homeland Security is taking appropriate action to protect our people and our country in the wake of today’s attempted terrorist attack."

"We will continue to assist New York authorities with the response and investigation and we urge the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity," Nielsen said. "More broadly, the administration continues to adopt significant security measures to keep terrorists from entering our country and from recruiting within our borders."

Akayed UllahPort Authority Bus Terminal attack