NY Bomb Suspect Not Linked to Bangladesh Militants: Authority

U.S. prosecutors on Tuesday brought federal charges against Akayed Ullah, a 27-year-old Bangladeshi and self-described supporter of Islamic State, accusing him of supporting a foreign terrorist organization.

Ullah set off a pipe bomb in an underground pedestrian corridor between New York's Times Square and the Port Authority Bus Terminal at rush hour on Monday morning, injuring himself and three others.

Read: Bangladesh Police Looking for Family of New York Bombing Suspect

"We have collected evidence and information from his family members: his wife, father-in-law and mother-in-law," Monirul Islam, head of the Bangladesh police's counter-terrorism unit, said in an interview.

"In Bangladesh, we have not found any connection or have not been able to identify any of his associates who were or are involved with any terrorist groups."

A U.S. enforcement official familiar with the investigation of the attack said officers had found evidence that Ullah had watched Islamic State propaganda on the internet.

Islam and his team interviewed Ullah's wife and other relatives for several hours, after picking them up at their rented apartment in central Dhaka.

Ullah, a U.S. resident since 2011, had come back to Bangladesh to see his family in September, spending most of the time at home with their six-month-old son, Islam said.

Read: Breaking News: Alleged Pipe Bomb Set Off in New York

"Usually, he did not mix with any of his friends or relatives here. Most of the time he spent time in the house," Islam said.

The authorities are still looking for his associates who he used to go to college or school with and stated that they have not identified anyone yet.

REUTERS