Donald Trump Calls for Tougher Immigration Rules after New York Blast

By Little India Desk | December 12, 2017

United States President Donald Trump has called for tougher immigration rules after the New York bomb strike on Dec. 11, saying that the current lax policy allows far too many dangerous and inadequately vetted people to get access to the country.

“Today’s attempted mass murder attack in New York City — the second terror attack in New York in the last two months — once again highlights the urgent need for Congress to enact legislative reforms to protect the American people,” Trump said in a statement, AFP reported.

The bomb blast took place at the subway station at the Port Authority bus terminal, which is not very far from the city’s iconic Times Square. The blast caused panic among the commuters as well as travel disruptions.

The homemade pipe bomb was detonated by a 27-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh, Akayed Ullah. He had strapped the pipe bomb to his body in a crowded New York subway passage during the morning rush hour on Dec. 11. Three people were injured in the blast, putting the city on an alert. Ullah’s bomb failed to detonate properly, leaving him seriously injured.

He told police investigators that he wanted to avenge the U.S. airstrikes on the Islamic State group. He also said that he was inspired by Christmas terror plots in Europe, and chose the subway station due to the Christmas posters put up on the subway walls, according to media reports.

The explosion left him with several burns on his torso and hands, and he was taken to a hospital. He is said to be in a serious condition.

The three people injured in the bomb blast suffered ringing in the ears, headaches and other minor complaints. The subway structure has not been damaged significantly in the blast.

“Fortunately for us, the bomb partially detonated,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said, according to the news agency. “It did not fully have the effect that he was hoping for,” he added.

Cuomo said that although Ullah was not part of a “sophisticated network,” he appeared to have been “influenced” by the Islamic State or other extremist groups.

“US citizens should exercise caution at holiday festivals and events. Extremists continue to focus on tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls and local government facilities as viable targets,” the State Department warned.

Cuomo said that the latest bombing has made it clear that New York is a perennial target, even 16 years after the 9/11 attacks. “This is New York. The reality is that we are a target by many who would like to make a statement against democracy, against freedom. A bomb in a subway station is in many ways one of our worst nightmares,” Cuomo added.

The current terror strike comes just six weeks after a deadly truck attack. On Oct. 31, Sayfullo Saipov, 29, was held in the terrorist attack that left eight people dead in Lower Manhattan. The Uzbek immigrant plowed a rented truck into people walking and cycling on a New York City bike path. He said that he was inspired by the Islamic State to inflict mayhem, and chose Halloween because he figured there would be more people on the street.