Suspect in New York Subway Bombing Charged with 'Terrorist Act'

New York City officials say the Bangladeshi suspect arrested in the bombing incident has been charged with actions such as 'terrorist activity.' Investigators in Bangladesh are also interviewing and investigating the suspect's wife. According to a report by Reuters on Tuesday, 27-year-old Akayed Ullah, who detonated a pipe bomb in a Manhattan neighborhood on Monday, has been charged with 'criminal possession of a weapon, active support of terrorism, and attempted terrorist threat' under New York laws. New York police officials stated that these charges were announced by the state of New York, and it is possible that federal authorities in the U.S. may also bring charges against this suspect. According to two official sources who wished to remain anonymous due to ongoing investigations, investigators in Bangladesh are interviewing the suspect's wife. The report indicates that the suspect and his wife have a six-month-old son. One New York police official told Reuters, 'We found the suspect's wife and relatives in Dhaka and are interviewing them.' Ullah strapped a homemade bomb to himself and detonated it during rush hour in New York's subway near Times Square, injuring himself and three others. Ullah was transferred to the hospital under police supervision for treatment of his burns. The report states that as soon as news of the attack broke, government officials in Bangladesh began searching for the suspect's relatives. Imad Ullah, a relative of the suspect, told Reuters that Akayed Ullah married a Bangladeshi woman two years ago and has a wife. The Bangladeshi police told Reuters that Ullah has a criminal record in Bangladesh and his last trip to Bangladesh was in September of this year. Ullah lived in Brooklyn, New York, with his mother, sister, and two brothers. He has permanent residency in the U.S. - a green card. An official in this case stated that there is evidence indicating that the suspect was influenced by propaganda from the Islamic State (ISIS) on the internet. Bangladesh condemned this attack. Following the attack on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump criticized 'negligence' in accepting immigrants into the United States and again called for reforms in that process. The U.S. President added that the immigration acceptance process in his country is 'careless' and the current mechanism 'allows many dangerous individuals whose backgrounds have not been thoroughly examined to access our country.' Trump stated in a White House release, 'The terrible damage this defective (immigration) system has caused to the security and economy of America has long been evident.'