New York subway bombing: Bangladeshi suspect followed radical preacher

Akayed Ullah, the accused, had asked his wife in Bangladesh to read the writings and listen to the sermons of the currently imprisoned spiritual leader of a local radical group.

Bangladeshi officials say a man accused of carrying out a bomb attack in New York City’s subway system was influenced by the sermons and writings of a radical Muslim preacher but appeared to have no known links to local radical groups.

Police officers stand guard outside the closed New York Port Authority Subway entrance following an explosion, in New York City, on Monday. (Reuters file)

Monirul Islam, a top official of the counterterrorism department, says the suspect, identified as Akayed Ullah, a 27-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant, had asked his wife in Bangladesh to read the writings and listen to the sermons of the currently imprisoned spiritual leader of a local radical group.

The group has been linked to killings and attacks on secular academics and atheist bloggers in Bangladesh. The wife was questioned in Bangladesh.

Ullah is accused of strapping a crude pipe bomb to his body and detonating it during rush hour Monday.