Ashiqul Alam, 22, is in custody for allegedly wanting to shoot up Times Square and use explosives and hand grenades to commit a terror attack in the busy tourist attraction in New York City.

The New York FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force had been surveilling the Queens man who had spoken of getting a suicide vest and other terror tactics but according to a senior law enforcement official he decided to “shoot up” Times Square. He took a video of Times Square but when he tried to buy guns without serial numbers on Thursday, he was arrested.

Alam, of Jackson Heights, will appear in Brooklyn federal court today.

The New York FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force has its hands full:

NBC New York Reports on the previous attempts to target Times Square because of its “iconic global status”:

Faisal Shahzad is currently serving life in prison for his failed 2010 attempt to set off a car bomb in Times Square.

Late last year, a Canadian man was sentenced to 40 years in prison for plotting attacks on the square and subways in 2016.

In 2017, a Brooklyn man Akayed Ullah tried to blow up the NYC subway:

The biggest bus terminal and busiest morning area in New York City has been shaken by a very real terror attack. The Port Authority at 42nd and 8th was the scene where a device exploded but exploded early. This could have been so much worse. It’s a lucky day for NYC but the war against terror continues…

New York Post reports:

An ISIS-inspired would-be suicide bomber set off a homemade explosive device at the Port Authority Bus Terminal subway station Monday morning, seriously wounding himself and injuring three others, law enforcement sources said.

The man — a 27-year-old Brooklyn man identified by high ranking police sources as Akayed Ullah — had wires attached to him and a 5-inch metal pipe bomb and battery pack strapped to his midsection as he walked through the Manhattan transit hub. The man partially detonated the device, which he was carrying under the right side of his jacket, prematurely inside the passageway to the A, C and E trains at Eighth Avenue and West 42nd Street around 7:40 a.m., sources said.

Investigators briefly spoke to the suspect who told them he made the explosive device at the electrical company where he works.
He is in custody and police are already at his home in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn.
The 27-year old terrorist is originally from Bangladesh and has been in America for 7 years.

Video of the moment the explosion went off and there was a stampede of commuters:

https://twitter.com/NYCityAlerts/status/940209031532220418

The incident sent commuters into a frenzy.

New York Post reports:

“holy f–k. just was stuck in a running stampede at port authority bus terminal due to bomb scare. cops EVERYWHERE,” designer Chelsea LaSalle tweeted.

LaSalle followed up her tweet with another that read: “not a scare. actual explosion moments before i was about to get on the subway.”

Commuter Keith Woodfin tweeted: “I was exiting the Port Authority and the National Guard was running towards something shouting ‘Go, Go, Go.’”

All MTA trains were bypassing Port Authority-42 St. as police investigated the incident.

All New Jersey Transit buses were not stopping at Port Authority.

Former NYPD commissioner Bratton had confirmed that this is ISIS…EVEN IF WE DON’T THINK WE’RE AT WAR WITH ISIS, ISIS IS AT WAR WITH US!

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