NY bombing underscores US vulnerability to attacks

NEW YORK - Monday's rush hour explosion in New York underscores how vulnerable the United States is to terror attacks, US experts said.

"The New York explosion shows that the US remains vulnerable to attacks" at a time when the Islamic State and other terror groups remain highly influential and inspire attacks by individuals worldwide, said Darrell West, a Brookings Institution senior fellow.

A man attempted a suicide bombing on Monday morning by strapping a pipe bomb to his body in a subway tunnel near Times Square, one of the busiest and most densely packed areas in the country.

The suspect was identified as 27-year-old Akayed Ullah, an immigrant from Bangladesh, media said.

The would-be attacker, who survived the attempted blast, told investigators that he was inspired by IS, which had carried out bombings in Christmas markets in Europe.

Despite the rush-hour crowds, only three people suffered minor injuries from the explosion. The incident caused thousands of travelers to flee the area, and for hours halted all public transit to and from the Times Square.

The attack also highlighted the challenge the US is facing. In an open society where people have the freedom to walk around without being interrogated by police without probable cause, attacks can and will happen, experts said.

"It is difficult to stop individuals bent on harming other people. You can't police every part of large cities and guarantee public safety," said West.

Monica Gannon, who planned to take the bus back to New Jersey when the explosion happened, said: "I'm glad I wasn't there. We were supposed to take a bus out at the time (when the accident happened), so I'm glad we waited. We are stuck here. Now we are waiting for all this to be over and go back home."

Alicia Carmona said she was evacuated from the terminal after the explosion and had to wait outside the bus terminal for about two hours. "It was terrible, and I was so scared when I saw some people running," she said.

There are literally millions of "soft targets" for car attacks across the US - malls, shopping areas, churches, mosques, downtown areas and highway rest stops for bombers or shooters, as well as sidewalks filled with people, said Wayne White, former deputy director of the State Department's Middle East intelligence office.

"As we have just seen, even in New York, which is on higher alert, there continue to be vulnerabilities," he said.

While IS wreaked havoc in the Middle East for several years and overtook vast swathes of territory, it is currently on the run. But at the same time, the group remains capable of inspiring sympathizers through the use of social media to carry out attacks around the globe.

"With the IS group's caliphate all but destroyed, their terrorist capabilities ironically could increase elsewhere," White said.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

wanglinyan@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily 12/13/2017 page12)