The remarks were unexpected. Ullah showed no emotion as the jury found him guilty on all six counts for the attack last Dec. 11 that miraculously resulted in no deaths. The jury deliberated for roughly six hours over two days.</s>Port Authority bomber Akayed Ullah was found guilty Tuesday on all counts of trying to blow himself up in a failed terror attack at one of New York City's busiest commuter hubs.

Akayed Ullah, a 28-year-old Bangladeshi Brooklynite, now faces up to life in prison for the December 2017 Port Authority bombing. Prosecutors in Manhattan federal court said Ullah is an ISIS sympathizer who attempted to blow himself up in a passageway to the Port Authority in an attempt to “inflict maximum damage” to New York City commuters on Dec. 11, 2017. Ullah's defense, however, claims he is a troubled man who wanted only to take his own life, and Ullah's bomb was an attempted suicide.

No one was killed in the bombing that day, though survieillance video showed the bomb detonating within feet of Port Authority commuters.

“This case is not about a foreign terrorist organization planting an operative in our midst,” Defense attorney Julia Gatto told jurors on Oct. 30, 2018. “What this case is about is a deeply troubled, isolated young man who wanted to take his own life.”

Akayed Ullah verdict: Guilty on all counts in Port Authority bombing attempt

Akayed Ullah was arrested last December after detonating a homemade bomb in a pedestrian tunnel connecting two subway lines and a bus terminal in midtown Manhattan. He was charged with six criminal counts, which include using a weapon of mass destruction and providing material support to Islamic State.

Gatto’s statement came after Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebekah Donaleski laid out the prosecutors’ case, telling the jury that Ullah’s act was inspired by Islamic State propaganda he found online.

Donaleski said Ullah built a bomb out of a pipe taken from a construction site where he worked as an electrician, using match heads and sugar as explosives and screws as shrapnel.

“The defendant was inspired by ISIS,” Donaleski said, using the Islamic State acronym. She said a search of Ullah’s computer revealed that he had viewed propaganda urging supporters unable to travel to join Islamic State to carry out “lone wolf” attacks wherever they live.

Donaleski told the jury that, while on his way to carry out the attack, Ullah posted on Facebook: “Trump you failed to protect your nation,” followed by an Arabic message that she said expressed support of Islamic State.

Gatto countered that the prosecutors “give far too much credit to an organization that deserves none.”

“Tooling around on the internet does not make you an ISIS member,” she said. “He does not know a single ISIS member and not a single ISIS member knows him.”

Ullah, Gatto said, was not thinking rationally and wanted only to kill himself in a way that would “send a message.”

NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill said on Twitter that it was fitting Akayed Ullah's guilty verdict came down on election day 2018.

"It’s fitting that on #ElectionDay in America, Akayed Ullah — who detonated a bomb in a pedestrian tunnel beneath #NYC — was unanimously found guilty by a jury of New Yorkers. We are vigilant," O'Neill tweeted Tuesday afternoon, adding that New Yorkers will not be deterred by acts of terrorism.</s>NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) – The man accused of setting off a poorly constructed pipe bomb near the Port Authority Bus Terminal was convicted on terrorism charges Tuesday.

A jury found that Akayed Ullah, a Bangladeshi immigrant, strapped the bomb to his body and partially detonated the device inside a passageway that links the Times Square subway station to the bus terminal in Midtown.

He told authorities he “did it for the Islamic State,” according to a federal criminal complaint.

Ullah was indicted on five counts in the December 2017 attack, including providing material support to terrorists and using a weapon of mass destruction. He pleaded not guilty in January.

He was hospitalized with serious burns after the attack. Five other people suffered minor injuries.

The defense said Ullah intended to kill only himself last Dec. 11. Nobody died and most of the injuries were not serious.

Prosecutors said he wanted to maim or kill commuters as part of a “lone wolf” terrorist attack on behalf of the Islamic State group.

They disputed the defense claim, saying Ullah would not have worn a bomb had he wanted to kill only himself.

They also cited social media postings by Ullah as well as comments he made after his arrest to investigators.

“Ullah’s sinister purpose was to harm and terrorize as many innocent people in his path as possible, by using deadly violence to make a political statement,” said U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman after the verdict. “Ullah’s conviction by a unanimous jury of New Yorkers falls on an Election Day, which fittingly underscores the core principles of American democracy and spirit: Americans engage in the political process through votes, not violence.

Authorities said Ullah, who lived in Brooklyn, moved to the United States on an immigrant visa in 2011 before later becoming a legal, permanent resident.</s>A Manhattan federal jury Tuesday convicted the man who said he was inspired by Islamic State to set off a pipe bomb last year in one of New York City’s busiest transit hubs.

On Dec. 11, Akayed Ullah, 28 years old, detonated the low-tech device at about 7:20 a.m. inside the passageway that connects the Port Authority Bus Terminal and Manhattan’s crowded Times Square subway station. The explosion created chaos during the morning commute, alarming commuters and disrupting the city’s transit system. Four people, including Mr....</s>Shocking newly-released surveillance video shows the moment the failed Port Authority pipe bomber set off his crude explosive at New York's busiest subway station last year in the name of ISIS.

The harrowing video was released a day after Bangladeshi immigrant Akayed Ullah, 28, was found guilty of setting off the bomb that injured four on Tuesday.

He was found guilty of all six criminal counts against him, including use of a weapon of mass destruction and support of a terrorist organization and faces a mandatory 30-year prison sentence and possible life. Sentencing is set for April 5.

The chilling video reveals how Ullah first entered a subway station on December 11, 2017 at 6.26am then calmly made his way to Port Authority where his botched attack would unfold.

Ullah is seen in the video wearing a blue sweater, khaki pants, and a gray hat.

As he walks through a bustling tunnel that connects two subway lines and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan, he sets off the bomb at approximately 7.18am.

One second he's walking calming through the tunnel, the next he sets off the bomb attached to his chest. His body goes rigid for a moment before collapsing onto the ground.

A puff of smoke encircles him and shrapnel and bits of his clothing go flying in the air.

Pedestrians behind and in front of him buckle over in panic upon hearing the loud noise, covering their ears and closing their eyes before running off.

The video then cuts to a horde of police officers with their guns drawn slowly approaching Ullah's limp body sprawled out on the ground with his clothes in tatters and shreds.

When officers realize Ullah is still alive and they immediately retreat before finally pinning him down, turning him over, and placing him in handcuffs.

Ullah survived his suicide bomb attempt and explained to U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday that he created the explosive because he was angry at President Donald Trump for threatening to bomb the Middle East.

Three other people suffered minor injuries in the attack. The only person seriously injured was Ullah himself.

Federal prosecutors said Ullah built the bomb out of a pipe taken from a construction site where he worked as an electrician, using match heads and sugar as explosives and screws as shrapnel to main and kill commuters.

They said he was inspired by online Islamic State propaganda urging supporters to carry out 'lone wolf' attacks.

The defense claimed that Ullah only wanted to kill himself with the suicide pipe bomb.

Prosecutors disputed that claim, saying Ullah would not have strapped the bomb to his chest had he wanted to kill only himself.

'He designed it. He built it. ... He picked the time. He picked the location,' said prosecutor Rebekah Donaleski at the start of the trial.

Before the attack, prosecutors said, Ullah posted on Facebook: 'Trump you failed to protect your nation,' followed by an Arabic message expressing support of ISIS.

A prosecutor said Ullah told an investigator after his arrest: 'I did it for the Islamic State.'

Ullah lived with his mother, sister and two brothers in Brooklyn and was a green card holder. At the time of the attack his wife lived in Bangladesh, and the couple had a six-month-old son.</s>NEW YORK: The Bangladeshi man accused of detonating a bomb last December in a New York City subway passageway on behalf of Islamic State was found guilty on Tuesday of all six criminal counts against him, including use of a weapon of mass destruction and support of a terrorist organisation, according to federal prosecutors.

The verdict against Akayed Ullah, 28, came after a week-long jury trial in Manhattan federal court. Ullah faces a possible sentence of life in prison.

Ullah's lawyers declined to comment on the verdict. They had not contested the bombing charges, but said his motive was to end his life, not to support Islamic State even though he had taken in the militant group's propaganda online.

Ullah was arrested last December after detonating a homemade bomb in a pedestrian tunnel connecting two subway lines and a bus terminal in midtown Manhattan. The explosion did not kill anyone, but authorities said three people suffered minor injuries and the subway station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal were closed temporarily that morning.

Federal prosecutors said Ullah built the bomb out of a pipe taken from a construction site where he worked as an electrician, using match heads and sugar as explosives and screws as shrapnel. They said he was inspired by online Islamic State propaganda urging supporters to carry out "lone wolf" attacks.

Before the attack, prosecutors said, Ullah posted on Facebook: "Trump you failed to protect your nation," followed by an Arabic message expressing support of Islamic State.

Ullah lived with his mother, sister and two brothers in Brooklyn and was a green card holder. At the time of the attack his wife lived in Bangladesh, and the couple had a six-month-old son.

Ullah's wife told Bangladeshi investigators that Ullah had not prayed regularly before moving the United States, and officials said he had no criminal record in his home country.</s>A Manhattan federal jury began deliberations Monday in the high-profile case of a Brooklyn man caught on video detonating a pipe bomb last year in a crowded tunnel connecting the Port Authority Bus Terminal and Times Square.

The evidence against Akayed Ullah, 28, has been so overwhelming that even his defense lawyers admit he detonated the bomb. But they argued that he did it out of depression, not for ISIS, and that he planned to kill only himself.

Ullah faces five to 20 years in prison if the jury buys the defense and convicts him of a single act of destroying public property with an explosive device. He faces multiple life sentences if convicted on all counts.

His lawyers on Monday showed the jury shots of the video surveillance showing Ullah detonating the bomb, pointing out that the device exploded just as the morning rush-hour crowd around him dissipated.

“If harming anyone other than himself was his intention, he missed the perfect opportunity,” defense lawyer Amy Gallicchio said in closing arguments.

Prosecutors argued that this was dumb luck.</s>The Bangladeshi-origin man accused of constructing a pipe bomb and admitting he was inspired by ISIS to carry out the Dec. 11, 2017, attack in New York City, was convicted Nov. 6.

Akayed Ullah, who detonated the bomb during the bustle of morning rush hour under the Port Authority Bus Terminal, was convicted unanimously by a jury of New Yorkers.

The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, in a statement released today, said Ullah’s “sinister purpose was to harm and terrorize as many innocent people in his path as possible, by using deadly violence to make a political statement.”

His conviction, falling on Election Day, Berman added, “fittingly underscores the core principles of American democracy and spirit: Americans engage in the political process through votes, not violence. Today, Ullah stands convicted, he faces a potential life sentence, and his purpose failed. New York City remains a shining symbol of freedom and hope.”

Ullah was indicted on Jan. 10 this year, with one count of providing and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic Stte of Iraq and al-Sham, one count of using and attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, one count of bombing and attempting to bomb a place of public use and a public transportation system, one count of destruction and attempted destruction of property by means of fire or explosives, one count of conducting and attempting to conduct a terrorist attack against a mass transportation system, and one count of using a destructive device during and in furtherance of a crime of violence.

On December 11, 2017, at approximately 7:20 a.m., Ullah detonated an improvised explosive device (“IED”) inside a subway terminal. Shortly after the blast, members of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department found Ullah lying on the ground near the explosion. Surveillance footage captured Ullah walking through the subway terminal immediately prior to the explosion, and then falling to the ground after the explosion.

The components of an exploded pipe bomb were found on Ullah and in his surroundings. After Ullah was taken into custody, he was transferred to Bellevue Hospital, where he made statements to law enforcement officers after waiving his Miranda rights.

During that interview, Ullah admitted to making the pipe bomb and carrying out the attack, saying, “I did it for the Islamic State.” He made the pipe bomb at his home in Brooklyn, filling the pipe bomb with metal screws, which he believed would cause maximum damage.

According to the indictment, Ullah’s radicalization began in at least approximately 2014. He viewed pro-ISIS materials online, including a video instructing, in substance, that if supporters of ISIS were unable to travel overseas to join ISIS, they should carry out attacks in their homelands. He began researching how to build IEDs on the Internet approximately one year prior to the attack.</s>A Bangladeshi man who said he was inspired by the Islamic State to detonate a pipe bomb last year near the New York Port Authority Bus Terminal was found guilty of six federal terrorism charges Tuesday.

Akayed Ullah, 28, of Brooklyn, was convicted by a federal jury in Manhattan after a weeklong trial.

All told, Ullah was found guilty of using a weapon of mass destruction, bombing a mass transportation system and other charges. He faces life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Richard J. Sullivan on April 5.

“This guilty verdict holds Ullah accountable, and he faces a potential life term in federal prison for his crimes,” said John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.

Ullah set off a makeshift bomb in a crowded subway terminal on Dec. 11, 2017. The early morning rush hour explosion wounded one person with shrapnel and caused panic throughout New York.

During the trial, federal prosecutors presented evidence, including video footage, of Ullah setting a bomb and a confession when authorities interviewed him at a hospital after the attack.

Ullah’s court-appointed attorney did not challenge claims he detonated the bomb, but instead argued that the defendant was trying to kill himself and not others. She said the suicide attempt was the result of exposure to propaganda from the Islamic State, better known by the acronym ISIS.

While being interrogated by federal and local law enforcement, Ullah claimed the attack was “for the Islamic State” in protest of the U.S. government’s policies in the middle east.</s>A Brooklyn man was convicted on Tuesday of committing an act of terror when he detonated a pipe bomb inside a subway corridor beneath Times Square almost a year ago.

The jury in Manhattan federal court began deliberations on Monday in the case of Akayed Ullah, an electrician who tried to blow himself up on Dec. 11 in a passageway connecting two subway stations along 42nd Street.

The attack took place during the morning rush hour and Ullah told police he wanted to aid the Islamic State, also know as ISIS.

Ullah, now 28, and three others were injured but there were no fatalities.

A Bangladeshi-born immigrant, Ullah is facing up to life in prison on a six-count indictment charging him with providing material support to ISIS, use of a weapon of mass destruction, committing a terror attack against a mass transportation system and other crimes. He had pleaded not guilty to all charges.

During the five-day trial, jurors heard testimony from 17 prosecution witnesses, including two commuters injured in the attack, many first responders and FBI agents, and an expert on Middle Eastern terrorist groups.

Last week, jurors were shown photographs of Ullah’s two passports, which were found in a jacket pocket in his apartment on Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn. Both passports had variations of a slogan from an ISIS video written on them.

Still, Ullah attorney Julia Gatto argued that he only meant to kill himself when he detonated the pipe bomb. She said Ullah didn’t commit all the crimes listed in the federal indictment.

“The government has overreached here,” Gatto said last week. “The defendant did not provide material support to ISIS.”
A jury in the Manhattan Federal Court finds Akayed Ullah guilty of a pipe bomb attack on the Port Authority Bus Terminal in December 2017.