The suspect accused of detonating a bomb near the New York Port Authority last month was indicted on six counts by a federal grand jury.
Akayed Ullah, 27, of Brooklyn, was charged with one count of attempting to provide material support to ISIS, one count of using and attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, one count of bombing and attempting to bomb a place of public use and a public transportation system; one count of destruction and attempted destruction by means of fire or explosives, one count of conducting and attempting to conduct a terrorist attack against a mass transit system and one count of using a destructive device during and in furtherance of a crime of violence.
A Bangladeshi immigrant who has worked as a taxi driver and an electrician, Mr. Ullah could face life in prison if convicted of the attack.
Federal prosecutors allege Mr. Ullah detonated an explosive device inside the New York Port Authority’s subway terminal on the morning of December 11.
Shortly after the blast, law enforcement officials located Mr. Ullah lying on the ground in the vicinity of the explosion. Surveillance footage captured Mr. Ullah walking through the subway terminal immediately before the explosion, the Department of Justice said.
The criminal complaint said that before the blast, Mr. Ullah posted two messages to his Facebook page. One message praised ISIS, while the other mocked President Trump.
“Trump failed to protect your nation,” the post said, according to court documents.
Mr. Ullah was taken into custody and during the course of his arrest, law enforcement officials discovered he possessed tools related to the exploded pipe bomb, including a nine-volt battery and wires connected to that battery; two plastic zip ties underneath his jacket and several fragments of what appeared to be Christmas tree lights attached to wired, according to the Justice Department.
“In selecting this time and place, Ullah’s alleged purpose in the Port Authority bombing was painfully clear: to inflict as much damage as possible, and to strike fear into the hearts of New Yorkers in the name of ISIS,” U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said in announcing the indictment.
The case has been assigned to Judge Richard J. Sullivan of the Southern District of New York. Mr. Ullah has been in federal custody since his arrest and will be arraigned before Judge Sullivan on January 11.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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