Authorities are still trying to determine who was behind an explosion that rocked Chelsea on West 23rd Street, Manhattan on Saturday night. The explosion is responsible for the injury of 29 people as of 7:00 am Sunday, with most of the injuries coming from shrapnel following the detonation inside of a sidewalk dumpster. Another device was later discovered a few blocks away according to the New York Times, prompting authorities to close off the area and request a bomb disposal robot:
As the authorities sought to identify what had caused the explosion, they described the second device as a pressure cooker resembling the one used in the deadly Boston Marathon bombings in 2013, according to a police official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a continuing investigation.
It was unclear whether the blast on West 23rd Street had been caused by the same type of explosive.
Photos of the device were shared online as the police robot removed the device to the department firing range in the Bronx for inspection and disposal.
https://twitter.com/NYCityAlerts/status/777365213914001409
UPDATE: Police robot is seen near the suspicious device at 27th St https://t.co/cuYDEJILsA #NYCExplosion pic.twitter.com/SwSngzwuwB
— Connor Ryan (@connortryan) September 18, 2016
Four sources tell @jonathan4ny that the pressure cooker at 27th street has wires coming from it, a cell phone, and black tape.
— Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) September 18, 2016
Both presidential candidates spoke about the incident on Saturday night, showcasing the difference in tone that most have become accustomed to at this point. Hillary Clinton spoke to reporters on her plane, noting that she had been informed of the explosion and a separate incident in Minnesota involving a knife attack at a shopping mall:
Trump just called early reports of an explosion in New York a "bomb." No confirmation of that yet. "We've got to get very tough," he says
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) September 18, 2016
Briefed on "explosion," not "bomb" as @SopanDeb is reporting Trump told crowd in Colorado of NYC situation. https://t.co/7oKfrR2IeO
— Taylor Popielarz (@TaylorPopielarz) September 18, 2016
Clinton’s response followed Donald Trump, who made a passing remark about the explosion and response during a hangar rally in Colorado Springs. Trump’s announcement garnered criticism for calling the explosion in New York “a bomb” before authorities had confirmed the cause of the explosion, prompting Clinton to take a more patient stance urging that it’s “important to know the facts”:
“That’s why it’s critical to support the first responders, the investigators, who are looking into it, trying to determine what did happen,” she said. “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.”
Authorities are still searching for a motive behind the explosion but did not report any connection to an earlier incident in New Jersey that saw three pipe bombs detonate in a trash can. We will keep updating with more details as they trickle throughout the day.
(Via New York Times / Mashable / Washington Post)