New York City police say a suspect is in custody following an explosion early Monday at a subway station a block away from Times Square. The fire department says four injuries were reported and that "all injuries are non-life-threatening."
"It was an effectively low-tech device," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a news conference near the site of the blast, after calling the news of an explosion "very disturbing."
Calling a bomb in a crowded subway "one of our worst nightmares," Cuomo said that the reality of what had occurred turned out to be better than what had been first feared. The injuries seem to have been minor, he said.
Ending his remarks, Cuomo said, "Let's go back to work. We're not going to allow them to disrupt us, that's exactly what they want. And that is exactly what they're not going to get."
Both Cuomo and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio went to the scene of the explosion shortly after it was reported.
@NYPDnews The NYPD is responding to reports of an explosion of unknown origin at 42nd Street and 8th Ave, #Manhattan. The A, C and E line are being evacuated at this time. Info is preliminary, more when available. pic.twitter.com/7vpNT97iLC
@NYPDnews Update regarding explosion at 42nd St and 8th Ave, in subway: One male suspect is in custody. No injuries other than suspect at this time. Avoid the area. Subways bypassing #PortAuthority and Times Square Stations. Info is preliminary. pic.twitter.com/bEAdjq8mYc 5:34 AM - Dec 11, 2017
"This was an attempted terrorist attack," de Blasio said. "Thank God the perpetrator did not achieve his ultimate goals. Thank God our first responders were there so quickly, to address the situation. He later said that "at this point in time, all we know of is one individual" carrying out what he called a failed attack.
Police initially said the male suspect was the only person injured in the incident at 42nd Street and 8th Avenue, site of the Port Authority bus terminal and subway stop. But the New York City Fire Department later provided an update to confirm the additional injuries.
Authorities haven't announced what caused the explosion. The Associated Press reports that "Law enforcement official tells AP that man had explosive device strapped on when it exploded in New York City subway," though that hasn't been officially confirmed.
Shortly before 8 a.m. ET, police said a blast was reported during the morning commute in Midtown.
After the explosion, subway trains were bypassing the Port Authority and adjacent Times Square stations, police said. The Port Authority bus terminal was temporarily closed.
President Trump "has been briefed on the explosion in New York City," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said via a tweet.
This is a breaking news story. As often happens in situations like these, some information reported early may turn out to be inaccurate. We'll move quickly to correct the record and we'll only point to the best information we have at the time.