Summary
We’re going to close our rolling coverage of the bombing on 23rd street with a summary of what officials have said we do and do not know. Police have not yet announced a time for a next update.
- Twenty-nine people were injured after a bomb exploded at 23rd street in Chelsea after 8.30pm eastern. All 29 were treated and released from hospitals by Sunday.
- “We did find some components indicative of an IED,” NYPD commissioner James O’Neill said. But no individual or group has claimed responsibility, he said.
- Police found a second device, a pressure cooker wired to a mobile phone and placed in a plastic bag, a few block away on 27th street. Chief of detectives Robert Boyle said the examination of that device has not concluded.
- Mayor Bill de Blasio called the bombing an “intentional” act but declined to call it terrorism before police had any tangible notion of motive. O’Neill echoed those comments, saying if the act was terrorism police will “come out and say it”.
- But Governor Andrew Cuomo described the bombing as terrorism regardless of its ultimate motive or perpetrator. “There is no link at this time at this preliminary stage to international terrorism,” he said, adding that police will consider any motive, terroristic, political or personal. “Whoever placed these bombs, we will find and they will be brought to justice.”
- O’Neill urged people to call the police (at 1-800-577-TIPS.) with any knowledge, video or photography they might have, or if they see anything suspicious. “We’re not taking anything off the table,” he said.
Robert Boyle, chief of detectives, ends the press conference by saying the police will spend the next several days collecting video from residences and businesses to search for who was on the block before and after the bombing.
O’Neill says the police “can’t say with 100% certainty where the blast originated,” though he acknowledges that it may have been in a dumpster.
“Dumpsters are a part of life in New York City,” he says. “There’s so much construction in New York City, there’s going to be dumpsters in New York City.”
But he declines to answer any questions about the suspicious device found a few blocks away. “I’m not going to discuss what was found on 27th street.”
“You will see a lot of police presence,” de Blasio warns. “People are smart enough to be vigilant” and call police, he says.
“But again, we will give you the facts as we get the facts.”
Updated
NYPD chief James O’Neill says he is worried about the city.
“Of course I’m concerned,” he says. “We don’t have anyone apprehended.”
He repeats his call for tips from the public. “If you see something out there that makes you feel uncomfortable, that looks unusual,” he says, call the police tip line.
“It’s not just a police department, it’s everybody that lives works, visits New York City.”
He praises the two officers who circled the block at 27th street and found the second suspicious device on Saturday night.
De Blasio doesn’t use the word terrorism when he describes the bomb, but does continue using the word “intentional”.
“I think it’s important to say what we know and don’t know,” he says, stressing that he only wants to relay confirmed facts.
Updated
De Blasio praises the reaction of New Yorkers who live near the crime scenes, saying he’s seen “tremendous appreciation for the response by the first responders”.
But there’s also a “sense this morning that they needed to go about their lives,” he says.
A woman came in from Queens to go to a Chelsea church, de Blasio says, “she said, ‘for one thing God is with me, and for another thing as a New Yorker. Of course I’m going to keep going.”
“I think there’s a sense of resilience and a real faith that the NYPD is addressing the situation.”
Sweeney fields a question about investigation priorities. He says the FBI will examine any possible suspect or motivation: “we’ll look at individuals, we’ll look at social networks.”
“Everything that comes in gets a look,” he says. “It’s that simple.”
An official with the team investigating the 27th street device says that though police believe it’s related to the 23rd street bomb, “right now we’re not ready to make these calls.”
He says it could take several hours for the bomb squad to complete their examination of the device.
NYPD chief: no claim of responsibility
O’Neill take questions: the first about whether there’s any reason bombs were placed at 23rd and 27th streets.
“At this point we haven’t made the determination that there’s any significance to either location,” O’Neill says.
He’s asked about claims, and answers: “No individual or group has claimed responsibility.”
“New York City is always on a state of alert due to us being the number one target in the word,” O’Neill says of the increased police presence around the city. “We are always in a state of readiness.”
Updated
NYPD chief of department Carlos Gomez says the department has “increased our police presence at each of these events” around the city.
Counter-terror units, officers and “heavy weapons teams” have been deployed around the city. Some streets remain closed for investigation.
Before he takes questions, O’Neill thanks first responders in the fire department, NYPD, hospitals and bomb squad.
Updated
William Sweeney, an assistant director with the FBI next takes the podium.
He says he expects evidence collection to continue for another four to five hours at minimum near the sites at 23rd street and 27th street. He thanks residents for their patience, and says that agents have not started canvassing inside homes and businesses.
“It is vitally important that we do not inadvertently disclose information that might [alert] the subjects,” he says, referring to possible suspects.
NYFD commissioner Daniel Nigro says that there’s no structural damage to buildings or the subway near the blast site at 23rd street, and that he’s happy to say the 29 injured people are released from hospitals.
Commissioner James O’Neill speaks next.
“We have two separate crime scenes,” he says, before noting that it’s “a complex investigation” involving the NYPD, JTTF, ATF and FBI.
“We did find some components indicative of an IED” at the first site on 23rd street, he says.
“We moved the device up from 27th street,” the second site, he adds. “The bomb squad is in the process of working on that device right now
We’ve recovered video from both senes and we’re continuing to canvass from witnesses and additional video
So we need people to call 1-800-577-TIPS
As New Yorkers usually do we’ve received numerous phone calls.
“New York City residents can rest assured,” he says, that NYPD will “do our best to protect them”.
“Right now we don’t have enough information to make any final conclusion.”
“We know from everything we’ve seen so far that this was an intentional act, but again we do not know the motivation.”
“The investigatory agencies continue to look to see if there is any specific connection to the incident in New Jersey,” he says, referring to a pipe bomb that went off in Seaside, New Jersey on Saturday.
But he says there’s “no specific evidence” at this time, even though, “we’re not taking any options off the table”.
“If you have any information that might link to this incident: video, photos, eyewitness accounts, anything,” he says, tell the police. The number is 1-800-577-TIPS.
“This was a very serious incident and it’s going to take a lot of investigation,” de Blasio continues.
“We’re going to be very careful and patient to get to the full truth here,” he says. “We’re not going to jump to conclusion”
“We know there was a bombing, that much we do know. We know there was a very serious incident.”
“But we have a lot more work to say what motive” was behind the attack, he goes on. “Was it a political motivation, was it a personal motivation, we don’t know that yet.”
“Twenty-nine individuals were injured, all have been released from the hospital.
De Blasio’s message to New Yorkers: “be vigilant all the time.”
“We’re going into United Nations general assembly week,” he warns. “You will see a very substantial NYPD presence this week. We would normally have an expanded presence for the United Nations general assembly, it will be even bigger.”
The press conference with police officials and Bill de Blasio has begun.
NYPD police commissioner James O’Neill, and and an FBI spokesperson will also speak
“I was in the affected area this morning, talking to residents,” de Blasio says. “ I want to commend my fellow New Yorkers who deal with challenges with incredible resiliency.”
He says New Yorkers “are not intimidated by anything”.
“Folks said to me how reassured they were by the speedy response.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio will hold a press conference shortly in New York to provide an update on the investigation, the conditions of the injured 29 people and city plans for the next few days.
New York authorities have kept quiet in the hour since Governor Andrew Cuomo’s press conference, as de Blasio has met with police officials and visited the bombing site in Chelsea.
Cuomo: 'All 29 injured released'
“We really were very lucky that there were no fatalities at the time,” Cuomo tells reporters. He says that all 29 people who were injured have been released from the hospital.
A few, he says, suffered “serious” injuries, but he does not have specific numbers.
He says that because the subway stations in the area suffered no damage, people will be able to start using them again as soon as Monday.
“Whoever placed these bombs we will find and they will be brought to justice, period,” he says. “And they will be punished.”
“We will not allow these types of people and these types of threats disrupt life in New York. This is freedom, this is democracy and we’re not going to allow them to take that from us.”
But “no one is taking credit”, he warns. Cuomo admits that his characterization of the explosion as terrorism “depends on your definition of terrorism”.
“A bomb exploding in New York is obviously an act of terrorism but it’s not linked to international terrorism. In other words we’ve found no Isis connection,” he says. “But the mayor is correct in that there is no link at this time at this preliminary stage to international terrorism.”
Regardless of the perpetrator, he says, “life will go on in New York just the way it did the moment before the bomb.”
“What do they want? They want to instill terror. They want to make you afraid. They want to make you worry about going into New York City or New York state. We’re not going to let them instill fear, because that would let them win.”
He refuses to speculate this early in the investigation.
“You can guess, you can hypothesize, or you can just wait for the facts and go from there. I’d be dubious on speculating on what we don’t know .”
The damage from the explosion, he says, is “visible down the street. There’s glass everywhere, shrapnel everywhere”.
Updated
Cuomo: 'no evidence of international terrorism connection'
Governor Andrew Cuomo has spoken in New York City, having had a “walking tour” of the site of last night’s explosion.
He began by thanking the MTA transit authority and all first-responders. There is “significant property damage on both sides of the site of the explosion” he said, adding that it is “really lucky there were no fatalities”. The subway under the site has been examined but there is no damage and full service will resume tomorrow, he said.
Cuomo said he had been briefed by all relevant law enforcement agencies and “at this time there is no evidence of an international terrorism connection with this incident”.
But he added that it was early in the investigation and the FBI had taken the “bomb that did not detonate” to the FBI training centre at Quantico in Virginia for study. Material from the New Jersey bomb that exploded on Saturday was also going to Quantico, he said.
Cuomo and New Jersey governor Chris Christie are co-operating but the bombs in Seaside Park “appear to be different from the one that exploded in Manhattan”, he said.
“We have no reason to believe at this time that there is any further immediate threat,” Cuomo added, but “close to 1,0000 extra police and national guard people” will police bus, train and subway stations when New York goes back to work on Monday, a measure Cuomo said was “prudent”.
“Whoever placed these bombs we will find and bring to justice, period,” Cuomo said. “We will not allow these types of threats to disrupt our life in New York. … This is freedom, this is democracy and we’re not going to allow them to take that from us.”
Some questions from the press followed. Both New York devices were “similar in design”, Cuomo said. (The one that did not go off was a pressure cooker with a mobile phone attached.) He later said he had been advised that the first explosion was caused by a similar device.
“A bomb exploding in New York is obviously an act of terrorism,” Cuomo said, “but it’s not linked to international terrorism, in that we have not found links to Isis and etc.”
This could be a “lone wolf” attack, he agreed, “but we just don’t know”.
Cuomo also said: “This is my worst nightmare … one of the nightmare scenarios, and your mind immediately goes to was anyone hurt, was anyone killed? … When you see the damage I think we were lucky there were no fatalities.”
There is “glass everywhere, shrapnel everywhere”, he said.
Updated
New York is this morning waking up to a grey and close September day, reading the news and waiting for a scheduled press conference involving mayor Bill de Blasio and police chief James O’Neill, likely at 12 noon ET.
That means there is plenty of time for speculation and some recrimination on the Sunday talk shows, the recrimination focusing on the reactions to the explosion yesterday of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the presidential candidates who both call New York their home.
Here’s what Trump said on an airport tarmac in Colorado, in contrast to Clinton’s studied deferral to official investigators last night:
On CNN this morning, Trump surrogate and governor of New Jersey – where a pipe bomb exploded by the scheduled course of a 5km run yesterday – Chris Christie defended his man, saying “I don’t think you have to defer” to law enforcement in such situations, that the blast (in a city sadly familiar with gas explosions) had clearly been caused by a bomb, which “everybody knew” right away, and that “what Donald did was appropriate”.
Christie also said there was no evidence of any link between the explosions in New York and New Jersey.
We’re keeping a watch on developments, but the press conference at noon will be the next major information point.
Confirming earlier reports, the New York City mayor Bill de Blasio and other city officials have said investigators have ruled out a gas leak as the cause of the blast. But they stopped short of calling it a bombing and declined to specify precisely what they believed may have triggered the explosion.
Tim Teeman of the Daily Beast has been on the scene in Manhattan.
Ghost Avenue: The view towards Penn Station and 42nd Street up a traffic and people-free 7th Avenue. #NYC pic.twitter.com/A3coORC54s
— Tim Teeman (@TimTeeman) September 18, 2016
Quick update on the second device found on West 27th Street. It was removed by a NYPD bomb squad robot and has been taken to a police firing range in the Bronx.
Updated
Possible pressure-cooker bomb removed following explosion in Chelsea
It seems likely that we may not find out more about the Chelsea explosion until the press conference scheduled for Sunday noon.
Here is what we know so far:
- A large explosion occurred outside 131 West 23rd Street – the King David Gallery – at about 8.30pm on Saturday evening
- Eyewitnesses spoke of a “wall of flames”, shattered glass and flying debris, and people running for their lives
- 29 people were injured in the explosion, including one seriously
- Early reports that the blast was caused by a device inside a dumpster have been confirmed to the Guardian
- Authorities are treating the explosion as an intentional attack but mayor Bill de Blasio said there was “no evidence at this point of a terror connection”
- After the explosion, a “possible secondary device” was found on West 27th Street, prompting a lockdown of the area. It was subsequently successfully removed and will be transferred to a safe location
- This second device was widely reported by CNN, the Wall Street Journal and others to be a pressure-cooker bomb of the kind used in the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013, but authorities have characterised it only as a “suspicious package” and a “device”
- Hillary Clinton called for a thorough investigation while Donald Trump characterised the blast as a “bomb” 45 minutes after it was first reported
- Authorities saw no immediate link to a pipe bomb detonated in New Jersey on Saturday morning
Updated
This just in from the NYPD.
The next press update will likely be tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. from One Police Plaza w/@NYPDONeill @BilldeBlasio @NewYorkFBI & @FDNY
— J. Peter Donald (@JPeterDonald) September 18, 2016
It is now coming up to 3am on Sunday in New York and news out of Chelsea seems to be slowing. There have been no updates to the number of people injured, apparently steady at 29, nor on the one person understood to be in a serious condition.
With the second device successfully removed from West 27th Street, questions persist on social media over mayor Bill de Blasio’s characterisation of the blast as “intentional”.
He was emphatic that there was “no evidence at this point of a terror connection” when he spoke to reporters just after 11pm local time, but many have questioned how the distinction can be made when authorities are treating the attacks as deliberate.
I don't understand what the NYC is saying about #Chelsea. What do they mean the blast was intentional but no credible threat against city?
— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) September 18, 2016
Chelsea resident Soleil Philomena shares her experience of the explosion.
BuzzFeed’s Karla Zabludovsky has tweeted footage of the removal of the “suspicious package” from West 27th Street as viewed from her hotel room.
More police showing up below my hotel window on 27th and 7th,
— KarlaZabs (@karlazabs) September 18, 2016
robot is no longer moving around #ChelseaExplosion pic.twitter.com/W1Aq7SXWXT
Hotel speaker: guests in rooms on the 27th St side are being told to stay away from the windows #ChelseaExplosion
— KarlaZabs (@karlazabs) September 18, 2016
Loudspeaker at Innside hotel, on 27th st: "Take cover. This is not a drill." #ChelseaExplosion
— KarlaZabs (@karlazabs) September 18, 2016
Now seeing those little green lights on the street, near the spot where police are looking into an explosive device pic.twitter.com/PrqEsakUNf
— KarlaZabs (@karlazabs) September 18, 2016
No humans visible near on the street now but the robot is back next to the mailbox #ChelseaExplosion #NYCExplosion pic.twitter.com/ZXyc884Kmc
— KarlaZabs (@karlazabs) September 18, 2016
The robot is moving away on 27th toward 6th Av from the spot where the suspicious device was. Unclear from here if it's carrying something
— KarlaZabs (@karlazabs) September 18, 2016
The robot making its way back to the police vehicle at 2:17am EST #ChelseaExplosion #NYCExplosion pic.twitter.com/I1e2LreXap
— KarlaZabs (@karlazabs) September 18, 2016
Zabs is BuzzFeed’s Mexico bureau chief and was on holiday in the US at the time of the explosion.
“Bizarre that vacationing in the US turned out to be more dangerous than reporting in Mexico,” she tweeted.
Her boss Ben Smith, BuzzFeed’s editor-in-chief, tweeted that she’d “booked the right hotel”.
The reported pressure-cooker bomb has been safely removed by the NYPD for analysis.
Update: the suspicious package on West 27th Street has safety removed by the NYPD for further analysis. @NYPDnews
— J. Peter Donald (@JPeterDonald) September 18, 2016
As my colleague Oliver Laughland reported earlier, the device will be likely put in some sort of reinforced containment chamber then taken to the NYPD’s firing range at Rodman’s Neck in the Bronx, at least 45 minutes’ drive from Chelsea.
Uber has been criticised on social media for invoking surge pricing in the wake of the explosion, when many public transport lines were down.
Though Uber NYC tweeted that it had turned off surge pricing for the Chelsea area, Jessica Keenan Wynn later reported it was charging 1.8x the normal fare.
Surge pricing has been turned off in the #Chelsea #explosion area. Allow extra time for drivers to navigate due to road closures. Stay safe.
— Uber NYC (@Uber_NYC) September 18, 2016
COME ON @Uber 😡 1.8 surge pricing after explosion in #Chelsea? I'm disgusted. People are trying to get home safe. Shame on you #DeleteApp
— Jessica Keenan Wynn (@JessicaKWynn) September 18, 2016
Shaun King, a writer for the NY Daily News, corroborated Wynn’s account.
“This is true. My family and I were out in Manhattan and many of our train lines were closed. Uber prices surged up,” he tweeted.
A number of Twitter users accused the company of price gouging.
#NYCExplosion causes residents to attempt to get home. #Uber taking total advantage of chaos and surcharging passengers 1.4 to 1.8 times.
— Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) September 18, 2016
Reportedly @Uber prices surged in aftermath of #Chelsea bombing. No punchline. Just pointing out a garbage company. #ChelseaExplosion
— Brian T. Arnold (@briantarnold) September 18, 2016
Twitter: WTF
— Kate Aronoff (@KateAronoff) September 18, 2016
New York: K
Uber: How do we get that sweet ca$h.#chelsea
Funny @Uber is price surging during the transit mess from the bombs set off in #Chelsea
— Tommy (@Always_Business) September 18, 2016
Apparently @Uber is raising fare prices following the explosion in #Chelsea! They should be giving free rides. Despicable. #BoycottUber
— Jamal Evans (@JamalZEvans) September 18, 2016
Others who were passengers with Uber at the time of the explosion shared their experiences.
Uber driver is navigating us around the blocked off streets in Chelsea and I feel that familiar regret of not taking the subway
— Alexandra Bracken (@alexbracken) September 18, 2016
Shout out to my @Uber driver Antonio who stayed calm while driving past #Chelsea & was rear ended in NYC traffic. Made it back safe finally
— Mandy Slutsker (@Mandy4Action) September 18, 2016
Updated
Explosion caused by device in trash can
An NYPD officer who was not authorised to speak about the investigation confirmed to Joanna Walters of Guardian US that the explosion in Chelsea on Saturday night was caused by a device placed in a trash can on 23rd Street.
As well as the second site of investigation on 27th Street, where the device thought to be a pressure cooker was found, the police are also understood to be examining a third site of interest.
But, Jo writes from the scene, “in the situation of heightened alert there is no way of knowing at this stage if it is another device or simply the kind of suspicious package that is routinely investigated daily in the city”.
Updated
CNN has more details of the second device, the reported “pressure cooker”:
A device at a second location in Chelsea appears to be a pressure cooker with dark colored wiring coming out of the top center of the device. The device, mentioned earlier by police, is connected by silver duct tape to a small dark colored device attached to the outside of the pressure cooker, according to multiple local and federal law enforcement officials. None of the officials would say at this point what was inside the pressure cooker.
It has seen – and broadcast – an image verifying the description of the device.
This is the device found at second location, near New York explosion, officials say. https://t.co/cpgJgDr4X5 pic.twitter.com/TZr07KwDra
— CNN (@CNN) September 18, 2016
Mayor Bill de Blasio has cancelled some public appearances scheduled for Sunday in the wake of tonight’s unrest, but has confirmed he will meet with Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, to participate in a forum about building inclusive cities.
Second device to be removed by bomb disposal units
A spokesman for the New York Police Department has confirmed to my colleague Oliver Laughland in New York that bomb disposal units will attempt to remove the second suspicious device on West 27th street and transfer it to a safe location – that’s the reported “pressure cooker”.
NYPD Lieutenant Thomas Antonetti added that police were still managing an “active scene” on West 27th street and it was unclear when officers would attempt to remove the device.
It is likely the device will be moved to the NYPD’s firing range at Rodman’s Neck in the Bronx, at least a 45 minute drive from Chelsea in Manhattan, Antonetti said, but a finalized location has not been confirmed. The device will likely be placed in some sort of reinforced containment chamber before transfer.
MSNBC has reported that police are reviewing CCTV footage of a suspicious person dumping an object close to the site of the explosion on 23rd Street shortly before the blast occurred, but Lieutenant Antonetti could not confirm these reports.
Updated
MSNBC has reported that law enforcement officials have seen surveillance video footage showing a man dropping something into a dumpster before the explosion in Chelsea.
MSNBC did not broadcast the footage, and theirs seems to be the only such report at this stage. My colleagues at the Guardian US are looking into it from New York.
If true, it would be consistent with early reports, from the New York Times and others, that the blast emanated from a dumpster.
The NYPD counterterrorism department had also tweeted an image of a mangled dumpster apparently caught up in the blast, but mayor Bill de Blasio refused to elaborate whether this was the site of the device at the 11pm media conference.
#Update re: Explosion (photo) pic.twitter.com/AtqllF3JEZ
— NYPDCounterterrorism (@NYPDCT) September 18, 2016
Updated
Both MSNBC and CNN have broadcast surveillance footage from the immediate aftermath of the blast that shows its impact. The first clip is from security cameras at Orangetheory Fitness on 124 W 23rd St, just doors away from the site of the explosion.
Per @CNN: Surveillance video shows explosion in #Chelsea pic.twitter.com/1JRZoFU3CZ
— Derek (@DTang0426) September 18, 2016
Updated
Hillary Clinton's response – in full
Dan Roberts, my colleague in Washington, has passed on the transcript of Hillary Clinton’s response to the explosion in New York. She began by expressing a commitment to support authorities and victims.
“Obviously, we need to do everything we can to support our first responders — also to pray for the victims. We have to let this investigation unfold. We’ve been in touch with various officials, including the mayors office in New York, to learn what they are discovering as they conduct this investigation, and I’ll have more to say about it when we actually know some facts.”
Clinton was asked to respond to Donald Trump’s immediate characterisation of the explosion as a “bomb”, less than an hour after it was first reported.
“Well, I think it’s important to know the facts about any incident like this,” she said. “That’s why it’s critical to support the first responders, the investigators, who are looking into it, trying to determine what did happen. I think it’s always wiser to wait until you have information before making conclusions, because we are just in the beginning stages of trying to determine what happened.”
She was asked what it might mean for the state of the presidential race.
“I’m just concerned about any kind of incident that happens anywhere in our country, and I think we should again withhold judgement until we know more about what happened — what the likely motivation might have been and obviously do everything we can to determine who was behind these incidents. I don’t think it’s time to think about anything else.”
She had just given a speech at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual awards dinner in Washington, at which president Barack Obama gave the keynote address. But she said the two did not discuss the blast in their “very short” conversation.
Although Clinton mentioned the pipe bomb that detonated in New Jersey early on Saturday morning, she said it “would not be appropriate to speculate” as to whether the Chelsea blast was the result of a coordinated effort. (Authorities have said there is not yet a specific link between the two incidents.)
“Let’s try to figure out as much as we can by having the experts and professionals go through this and try to determine what you have to in order to trace it back and see who’s behind it.”
Second device on West 27th St appears to be pressure cooker
There are several reports that the second device found on West 27th Street is a pressure cooker.
After the explosion on 23rd Street and Sixth Avenue in Chelsea on 8.30pm on Saturday, a “possible secondary device” was found a few blocks away.
J Peter Donald, the assistant commissioner for communication and public information for NYPD, described the device as a “suspicious package” in an update posted to Twitter at about midnight local time and asked residents of the street to “stay away from windows” as it was cleared.
Update on West 27th Street in Manhattan pic.twitter.com/PHjcTCXoER
— J. Peter Donald (@JPeterDonald) September 18, 2016
The Wall Street Journal has reported that a law enforcement official said the second device was a pressure cooker, with wiring and a cellphone attached, inside a plastic bag.
ABC, Fox News, NY1, Associated Press, and CNN have said the same. (Earlier, CNN was among the first outlets to rule out the possibility that the blast on 23rd St was a gas explosion.)
Reports of the apparent pressure-cooker bomb have prompted social media users to make connections to the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, but authorities have been clear that there is no evidence of any links to terrorism at this stage.
“There is no specific and credible threat against New York City in this point of time from any terror organisation,” said mayor Bill de Blasio earlier.
Updated
New York Police Department news has circulated the remarks prepared for the commissioner, James O’Neill, apparently predating the presser held after 11pm:
At around 8:30 P.M. this evening, officers from the 10th Precinct were on routine patrol, driving westbound on 23rd Street, when they witnessed a large explosion in front of 131 West 23rd Street. The officers immediately called for additional units and ambulances.
The NYPD bomb squad and the FBI joint terrorism task force were requested to respond. As of this time, the exact cause of this explosion has not been determined. Investigation into this incident is active at this time and an extensive search is being conducted. The area around the explosion site is being treated as a crime scene.
As of this time, there is no evidence to indicate that this explosion is a result of any natural gas cause. Again, the exact nature and cause of this explosion has not yet been determined. As of the most recent information, there have been 27 injuries reported. [Note: This figure was updated to 29.] One of these injuries may be considered serious. The fire department is currently assessing the extent of any possible structural damage resulting from this explosion.
As further information is developed, we will provide updates. At this point, anyone with potential information about the incident is asked to call NYPD CrimeStoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
As several media commentators have remarked, this is O’Neill’s first test as police commissioner – he assumed the role on 16 September. After William Bratton unexpectedly announced his resignation on 2 August, mayor Bill de Blasio immediately announced that O’Neill would replace him as the city’s 38th commissioner.
O’Neill – Brooklyn born and bred – began his career in the New York City transit police department in 1983 and eventually rose to chief of patrol in 2014.
Updated
The New York Times has reported that the White House has issued a brief statement confirming that President Obama has been briefed on the developing situation in New York.
“The president has been apprised of the explosion in New York City, the cause of which remains under investigation. The president will be updated as additional information becomes available.”
Hillary Clinton’s campaign said she was informed of the blast after she gave a speech at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual awards dinner.
Donald Trump, campaigning in Colorado Springs, was the first to respond. He spoke of a “bomb” in New York just 45 minutes after the explosion was first reported – “before the authorities had made any determinations about what had happened and while the situation was still in flux”, as the Times notes.
Possible second device on 27th St a 'suspicious package'
J Peter Donald, the assistant commissioner for communication and public information for NYPD, who earlier confirmed the discovery of a possible second device, has tweeted an update asking residents of West 27th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues to “stay away from windows”.
Update on West 27th Street in Manhattan pic.twitter.com/PHjcTCXoER
— J. Peter Donald (@JPeterDonald) September 18, 2016
Updated
Here’s mayor Bill de Blasio’s introduction to the the recent press conference that concluded in the last hour. The entire presser was broadcast on Facebook Live and can be watched on the NYPD’s page.
“Tonight New York City experienced a very serious incident. All elements of our first responders have been a part of the operation ... all hands are on deck. Injuries are significant ... At this point we can confirm that none of those injured are likely to die.
“We also want to be upfront saying that there is no evidence that there is a terror connection to this incident. This is preliminary information, this is something that we will be investigating very carefully, but there is no evidence at this point of a terror connection.
“I also want to affirm that based on what we know at this hour there is no specific connection to the incident in New Jersey. It is again too early to say anything definitive on those questions but there’s no specific evidence of a connection at this point.
“I want to say more broadly, there is no specific and credible threat against New York city in this point of time, from any terror organisation … But we do want to be very clear. The early indications, the initial indications is that this was an intentional act.
“We’re going to have a lot more to say in the coming hours as we have more detailed analysis ... I want to assure all New Yorkers that the NYPD and other agencies are at full alert and that our anti-terror capacity in particular is at full alert …
“I want to be clear, whatever the cause, whatever the intention here, New Yorkers will not be intimidated. We are not going to let anyone change who we are or how we go about our lives. We have the best police force in the country … making sure we can be safe here.”
Updated
Police commissioner James O’Neill confirmed that the explosion occurred in front of 131 West 23rd St – the King David Gallery, an interior design shop specialising in glass and mirror products.
Authorities with flashlights can be seen outside the gallery in the first ten seconds of this clip posted to YouTube on Saturday night.
Camelia Entekhabifard, a political commentator and author, was tweeting from the scene. An observer told her that the gallery had been “shattered” in the explosion, and the owner had watched it on a webcam at home.
An observer told me The King David gallery 6Ave & 23st shattered by explosion.The owner saw that from webcam at home. #Chelsea #Manhattan
— CameliaEntekhabifard (@CameliaFard) September 18, 2016
She said 125 23rd St, “an old hotel”, had been demolished in the blast.
Also in the vicinity of the explosion was an Associated Blind Housing facility at 135 W. 23rd St.
This clip from a security camera posted to Twitter purports to show the moment the explosion occurred – at the 23-second mark.
Video shows moment of IED Explosion at W 23 St & 6th Ave in Manhattan pic.twitter.com/O270bZWOzF
— New York City Alerts (@NYCityAlerts) September 18, 2016
Updated
Let’s recap the press conference with mayor Bill de Blasio, police commissioner James O’Neill, and fire commissioner Daniel Nigro that just concluded.
- The large explosion occured in front of 131 West 23rd Street at about 8.30pm on Saturday
- NYPD bomb squad and the FBI joint terrorism taskforce were requested to respond
- The cause of the blast is not yet known but it is being treated as intentional
- There is “no evidence at this point” to indicate a terror connection
- There is no known specific connection to the pipe bomb that detonated in New Jersey
- The area around the explosion site is being treated as a crime scene and NYPD and other agencies, including anti-terror units, remain at full alert
- The fire department is assessing the extent of any possible structural damage relating to the explosion
- An investigation is underway at a second site, 27th street between 6th and 7th avenues
- The injury count is at 29, with one serious. 24 have been taken to area hospitals with scrapes and abrasions
- New Yorkers with pertinent information relating to the blast are urged to come forward with a call to 1-800-577-TIPS
Updated
Chelsea resident Soleil Philomena, carrying her grey mongrel dog Wolfie in a black shoulder bag, told David Taylor of Guardian US that she had just left a grocery store at W23rd and 7th Avenue when the blast happened.
“I came back out and I heard ‘boom!’ I thought it was fireworks, but everything was shaking, the buildings, my body was shaking.
“I looked up there was a big cloud of smoke. I saw smoke, it was like a mushroom cloud of black smoke. People started running past me and I started running with them. Then we were hugging each other – everyone was so shocked.”
She went into a nearby branch of Whole Foods where she said she felt safe. “The noise was like one of those cherry bombs, but a thousand times louder.”
Updated
Injury count now 29, one serious
Police commissioner James O’Neill and fire commissioner Daniel Nigro have both addressed media with an updated injury count.
29 people were injured in the blast with one considered serious. Twenty-four have been transported to area hospitals with scrapes and abrasions, said Nigro. “Thankfully none of these are life-threatening injuries.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio refused to respond to a reporter’s question that the blast had been caused by a bomb in a dumpster, as has been reported, but reiterated that he believed the attack was intentional.
“At this moment, we do not see a link to terrorism.”
Updated
Mayor Bill de Blasio: no evidence of terror connection
Bill de Blasio is addressing media on the “very serious incident”. Authorities are treating it as intentional attack, but there is no evidence as yet of a terror connection.
“All hands are on deck. Injuries are significant. ... At this point we can confirm that none of those injured are likely to die.”
There was “no evidence at this point of a terror connection”, though he stressed that all findings were preliminary.
There was also “no specific evidence of a connection” to the pipe bomb that detonated earlier that day in New Jersey.
“New Yorkers will not be intimated,” said de Blasio. “We’re not going to let anybody change who we are and how we go about our lives.”
J Peter Donald, the assistant commissioner for communication and public information for NYPD, has confirmed the discovery of that possible second device on West 27th Street.
W. 27th Street is closed as we are investigating a second potential device. Please stay clear. @NYPDnews
— J. Peter Donald (@JPeterDonald) September 18, 2016
A press conference is expected any minute. Richard Quest, a correspondent with CNN, has described the mood on the scene as one of urgency, particularly on 23rd Street and 27th Street.
Updated
'Possible secondary device' found
Chief Harry J Wedin, chief of the NYPD’s special operations division, has tweeted that a possible secondary device has been located, and advised people to avoid the area.
A possible secondary device has been located @ 27th Street, 6th - 7th Avenues. #NYPD nvestigations are ongoing. Avoid the area @NYPD13Pct
— NYPD Special Ops (@NYPDSpecialops) September 18, 2016
The cause of the blast is still not yet known, though CNN has reported that a gas explosion has been ruled out.
Gas has been ruled out as the cause of the New York explosion. https://t.co/cpgJgDr4X5 pic.twitter.com/J0scLDwMG2
— CNN (@CNN) September 18, 2016
The number of people injured remains 25.
Jenna DeAngelis, a reporter with Fox, has shared images taken at the scene that show some of the emergency response.
Explosion reported in NYC, W 23rd st. and 6th ave. Pics from my sister who lives in the area. pic.twitter.com/F0sMfrZvrL
— Jenna DeAngelis (@jennamdeangelis) September 18, 2016
Updated
Mayor Bill de Blasio, NYPD commissioner James O’Neill and others are expected to give a press conference shortly.
Updated
Blast 'like a volcano'
Dave Taylor, my colleague at Guardian US, is at the scene.
Deborah Griffith, a witness, told him she was shopping at Home Depot, seven doors away, when the blast happened. It was “real loud”, she said – her first thought was that it was a gas explosion.
She described it as “like a volcano”, she said: red at the centre, a wall of flames. “The explosion was so big – people were running – for their lives.”
The New York Times has reported that the blast shattered windows in a five-storey brownstone building and sent debris into the street. Though the location and cause of the explosion were still being investigated, the fire department has received a report that it emanated from a dumpster.
The New York Police Department’s counterterrorism department, which said it is “actively monitoring” the situation in Chelsea, has shared an image appearing to show a dumpster that had been caught up in the blast to Twitter.
#Update re: Explosion (photo) pic.twitter.com/AtqllF3JEZ
— NYPDCounterterrorism (@NYPDCT) September 18, 2016
Updated
Pipe bomb in New Jersey targeted Marines event
The blast in Manhattan follows the discovery of a pipe bomb in New Jersey earlier in the day.
Law enforcement sources said the pipe bomb was hidden in a bin near the course of a scheduled 5km race in support of the US Marines and sailors in Seaside Park, down the east coast from New York.
No one was injured in the blast at about 9.30am, but there were other devices that failed to explode. The Semper Five run was delayed and subsequently cancelled.
Al Della Fave, a spokesman for the Ocean County prosecutor’s office, said it was “obvious” that the blast was meant to affect the run.
Asked if marines and their families had been targeted, he said: “I think we can assume that, considering the location of the device right along the run route where, if it was just a matter of minutes in terms of difference, there would have been a good number of people running past that explosive device.”
Updated
Several injured after explosion in Manhattan
Several people have been injured in an explosion in the Chelsea area of Manhattan on Saturday night.
New York authorities confirmed that 25 people had been taken to area hospitals, though none appeared to have life-threatening injuries.
The cause of the explosion, which occurred at about 8.30pm on 23rd street between 6th and 7th avenues, was not yet known, but witnesses said FBI and Homeland Security officials were at the scene.
But speaking at a rally in Colorado Springs, Donald Trump was quick to classify the blast as a “bomb”.
According to pool reporters, the Republican presidential candidate said moments after leaving his plane: “I must tell you that just before I got off the plane, a bomb went off in New York and nobody knows exactly what’s going on but, boy we are really in a time – we better get very tough, folks.”
We’ll report on updates on this developing story as they come to light.
Updated
