Explosion near NYC Times Square

[samsnee]

Early morning explosion in the subway near Times Square. No reports of injuries so far but they have an individual in custody. No one in law enforcement is saying terrorism yet but should know more by this afternoon.

 

[nightwing06]

4 injured
Bomber from Bangladesh lives in Brooklyn NYC

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

I'm from Brooklyn and I use the Port all the time to take the bus to visit my mom in the Poconos.

A strange story from when I got off of work this morning.

Last Thur. I had to come to work early so that a co-worker of mine could leave early. His name is Abdullah. He's an older man from Bangladesh. Former military from there, and not a grunt. Went to their version of West Point. He had to leave early because he, his wife and daughter were being sworn in as U.S. citizens. He is a devout Muslim though as he explains it the sect he is from in Bangladesh is considered apostate by many, both Shia an Sunni. I didn't see him again until this morning when he relieved me from my shift. Abdullah is a real salt of the Earth guy and we get along well. Seeing him today, before the bomb went off I congratulated him on his citizenship. We got into a discussion about his native country and he tells me about how he's so grateful to be here, the freedom to worship as he wants, the lack of fear of government reprisals for speaking one's mind and the safety he feels raising his son and daughter here. He's very wary of Islamic terrorism always noting that the extremists in his old home kill so many of his countrymen. Even with the other officers he still keeps in contact with there are those susceptible to misinformation. He shows me a message from a friend he graduated with who is still in Bangladesh. He had sent Abdullah a message about how it's being reported to the Bangladeshi in some corners that Donald Trump is burning Korans in the U.S. Abdullah literally replies back to his friend with "This is fake news".

Abdullah ain't perfect, he has his issues. Frankly I think he's absorbed some racist attitudes about African Americans from American culture, but mostly he's just an honest and pious man trying to do what is best for his family. It sucks to think he now will have to deal with suspicion because of his country of origin given the nationality of the bombing suspect and his own feelings about terrorism. And we as a country have to deal with unfair rumors like Koran burning because Trump makes that so very easy to believe in the Muslim world. I don't know if this Koran rumor is what sparked this bomber or not but it's a weird coincidence that Abdullah told me about this lie going around his country and this action.