US reviews ease of buying bomb components online after New York City blast

“We’ll be reviewing ways in which suspects are gaining access to bomb components by way of the Internet,’’ Lynch said.

Earlier this week, federal prosecutors alleged the lone suspect in the bombings, Ahmad Rahami, shopped on eBay beginning in June and as recently as August for igniters, ball bearings and circuit boards used in the assembly of devices planted at four separate locations, including Manhattan where 31 people were injured when a pressure-cooker device detonated Saturday evening.

eBay has said the company is cooperating in the ongoing federal investigation, yet acknowledged a central concern of law enforcement: “The types of items bought by the suspect are legal to buy and sell in the United States and are widely available at online and offline stores,’’ the company said in a statement.

Spokesman Ryan Moore said the company has “internal processes in place to detect and report suspicious activity to authorities, including risk-based reporting and filters tied to buying and selling activity, items that may be associated with criminal activity and various other identifiers”.