New York subway bomber only wanted to kill himself, says lawyer, but prosecutors say he’s clearly a terrorist
- Akayed Ullah brought a pipe bomb to a crowded subway station, but then waited until he was in an isolated corridor before trying unsuccessfully to detonate it
A Bangladeshi immigrant who set off a pipe bomb in a Times Square-area subway station at rush hour in New York was on a suicide mission to kill only himself, a defence lawyer told jurors in a closing argument on Monday, contesting claims by prosecutors that he’s a terrorist.
“He wanted to die. He wanted to take his own life and only his life,” attorney Amy Gallicchio said of Akayed Ullah, 28, of Brooklyn. “This is not a suicide bombing. This is not a terrorist attack.”
Gallicchio spoke after Assistant US Attorney George Turner said Ullah sought “to inflict maximum damage, to terrorise Americans.”
Turner said Ullah purposely chose morning rush hour last December 11 in the city’s busiest subway station to maximise casualties.
The failed pipe bombing occurred in a pathway linking the subway to the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan. The subway is beneath the busy Times Square area where many trains are linked.