NYC Bomber: 5 Things Investigation Reveals About Akayed Ullah

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Since Akayed Ullah allegedly tried to kill himself and New York City commuters by setting off a pipe bomb in a crowded subway tunnel, federal investigators have learned much about the accused terrorist's motives.

The U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York announced Tuesday in a criminal complaint that Ullah may face charges including providing material support to a terrorist organization, use of weapons of mass destruction bombing a place of public use, destruction of property by means of explosive and use of a destructive device during a crime of violence.

"[Ullah] came to kill, to maim and to destroy," acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Joon Kim said Tuesday. "For that man the corridors under Port Authority — the gateway into the city for hundreds of thousands of commuters every day — was a place to murder as many innocent human beings as he could and to blow himself up in the process, all in support of a vicious terrorist cause."

Ullah — a native of Bangladesh who came to America in 2011 and earned a green card — detonated an "improvised, low-tech explosive device," at 7:20 a.m. Monday as he walked in a pedestrian tunnel underneath 42nd Street, NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill said. Ullah was heading from the Eighth Avenue subway platforms toward the Times Square station at Seventh Avenue, O'Neill said.

The blast seriously injured Ullah and hurt three commuters, who suffered minor injuries, FDNY Commission Daniel Nigro said Monday.

Here are five of the most revealing details discovered by federal investigators, as documented in the complaint against Ullah:

Ullah's Radicalization

Ullah carried out Monday's bombing in the name of terrorist organization ISIS, federal investigators said Tuesday. The accused terrorist told investigators that he started to become radicalized by the group in 2014 by watching online propaganda videos. One of the videos directed people who could not travel to join ISIS to commit lone-wolf attacks in their home countries.

The United States Government's policies in the Middle East served as Ullah's motive for the attack.

Why Port Authority?

Although Monday's attack was not deadly, Ullah's ultimate goal was to kill as many people as possible in a suicide bombing, federal investigators said Tuesday.

Ullah chose to carry out the attack in the busy subway tunnel connecting Port Authority and Times Square during a workday because he knew it would be crowded, according to the complaint.

Ullah's Message To Donald Trump

On Monday morning Ullah posted the following message on his Facebook page: "Trump, you failed to protect your nation."

Federal investigators believe the message was referencing President Donald Trump. Ullah also posted a separate message on the Facebook page he believed would explain that he carried out the attack in the name of ISIS, according to the federal complaint.

Ullah's Passport

When federal investigators searched Ullah's Brooklyn home they found Ullah's passport had been covered with multiple handwritten notes.

One of the notes read: "O America, die in your rage."

The Bomb

The improvised explosive device that was detonated underneath Port Authority most resembled what's known as a "pipe bomb," federal investigators said in the criminal complaint.
Port Authority Police officers who arrested Ullah recovered the following bomb components:

• A nine-volt battery in Ullah's pants pocket;
• Wires running from the battery underneath Ullah's jacket;
• Plastic zip ties used to secure the device to Ullah;
• Parts of a metal pipe, including a metal end cap;
• The remnants of a Christmas tree light attached to wires;
• Metal screws.

Ullah gathered the bomb parts weeks before the attack and constructed the bomb in his home one week ago, Kim said Tuesday. More bomb making components were found when investigators searched Ullah's Brooklyn home.

Check out the full federal complaint below:

Also See: NYC Pipe Bomb Suspect Described As Cocky

(Lead image: Akayed Ullah, the suspect in Monday morning's Midtown Manhattan bombing, is seen in this 2012 Taxi and Limousine Commission photo. He had a license to drive a black car from 2012 to 2015. Photo from NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission)