Police search for terrorism link in New York blast that injured 29
Investigators on September 18 sifted through blast remnants, examined video and scoured the scene of an explosion that wounded 29 people in Manhattan, attempting to establish if there were any links to international terrorism.
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The explosion on a commercial and residential street in New York City's Chelsea district on September 17 night sent a deafening roar and a powerful shock wave through several blocks, wounding people with shrapnel and flying glass. All 29 victims were released from the hospital, officials said on September 19.
Mayor Bill de Blasio pleaded for any witnesses to provide tips and promised a security presence that would be "bigger than ever" for the United Nations General Assembly bringing together world leaders in Manhattan for six days starting on September 20.
With so little known about the attack, officials said they would deploy an additional 1,000 state police and National Guard to sensitive areas such as transportation hubs.
Federal Bureau of Investigation investigators will examine remnants of the bomb plus an unexploded device found four blocks away as well as a pipe bomb that exploded about 80 miles (130 km) away in New Jersey on September 17 to see if they were connected, officials said.
Police recovered video from both scenes in Manhattan including images of the explosion itself, New York Police Commissioner James O'Neill said.
New York police, the FBI and the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives converged on the site for their first daylight view of the site of the explosion, cordoning it off and placing dozens of evidence markers on the ground. Police closed several surrounding blocks to traffic.
