EDM Monday Briefing: New York & New Jersey Bombings, St. Cloud Stabbing, Philadelphia Shooting

Emergency and disaster management briefing for September 19, 2016: A suspicious backpack containing five pipe bombs is found in Elizabeth, NJ, a bomb explodes in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood, another bomb detonates in Seaside, NJ, officials release a photo of person wanted in connection with the Chelsea bombing, a St. Cloud, MN mall is the scene of multiple stabbings, a gunman shoots police and civilians in Philadelphia, and a gun-wielding man on an Amtrak train in California is charged with terrorist threats.

1. According to police, a [link url=”http://www.nj.com/union/index.ssf/2016/09/suspicious_package_found_at_elizabeth_train_statio.html” title=”suspicious backpack found on top of a municipal garbage can”] near the Elizabeth, NJ train station by two men on Sunday evening turned out to be five bombs. Robots were used to determine the contents of the backpack, and later, while attempting to disarm one of the bombs, a [link url=”http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/nyregion/pipe-bombs-found-near-train-station-in-elizabeth-nj-official-says.html” title=”robot accidentally detonated one of the devices”]. Train service in the area was temporarily suspended during the investigation, but has since been resumed after the area was cleared. However, some [link url=”http://media.amtrak.com/2016/09/amtrak-northeast-corridor-service-to-operate-on-a-modified-schedule-monday/” title=”schedule changes may impact travelers”].

FBI Bomb Squad is on scene and continuing the investigation at the train station in Midtown Elizabeth. pic.twitter.com/qvmzsgisjC

— Chris Bollwage (@MayorBollwage) September 19, 2016

2. New York City’s [link url=”http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/18/explosion-in-new-york-city-25-reported-injuries/” title=”Chelsea neighborhood was the scene of a bomb that exploded”] on Saturday. The bomb, which injured 29 people, was located outside of the Associated Blind Housing Facility and inside some type of metal container.  Only four blocks away, a second device was found, something that [link url=”http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/19/nyregion/chelsea-explosion-what-we-know-and-dont-know.html” title=”resembled a pressure cooker with wires protruding that were connected to a cellphone”]. Police continue to investigate the incident, although according to city officials, there was no credible terrorist threat against New York City.
3. Several hours earlier on Saturday, another [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/09/18/officials-probe-bombings-stabbings-in-three-u-s-cities-in-12-hour-span.html” title=”bomb detonated in New Jersey”], this one was timed to interrupt the Military Charity 5K run. The [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/09/17/no-injuries-after-device-explodes-before-marine-charity-run-in-new-jersey.html” title=”pipe bomb exploded at 9:30 a.m. inside a plastic garbage can in Seaside City, NJ”], which was when the runners would have been passing by the area. There were no injuries when the bomb detonated since the race had been delayed due to the discovery of an unattended backpack. Authorities did find other devices in the same garbage can that were wired together but did not detonate, resulting in an approximate four-block evacuation.
4. Officials have [link url=”http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/new-york-explosion-bomb-blast-live-2016-manhattan-chelsea-bombing-latest-news-updating-a7314361.html” title=”released a photo of a person wanted in connection with the Chelsea bombing”] over the weekend, a man identified as Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, who is originally from Afghanistan. He is a naturalized citizen who currently resides in New Jersey. The investigation into the bombing is still ongoing, and [link url=”http://abc7ny.com/news/investigators-narrow-focus-on-suspect-in-chelsea-explosion/1517053/” title=”some reports suggest”] that the bombings in New Jersey and New York are connected.

https://twitter.com/AnupKaphle/status/777836254855593985

5. Nine people were [link url=”http://www.startribune.com/st-cloud-mall-closed-until-monday-is-crime-scene-after-stabbings/393872071/” title=”attacked by a man with a knife in a mall”] in St. Cloud, MN on Saturday. The incident occurred at the Crossroads Center shopping mall at around 8:15 p.m. The attacker, a male, made references to Allah during the attack before he was [link url=”http://www.sctimes.com/story/news/local/2016/09/17/reports-several-hurt-crossroads-center-incident/90607870/” title=”shot and killed by an off-duty police officer”], identified as Jason Falconer. Authorities are [link url=”https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/09/18/st-cloud-mall-stabbings” title=”investigating the incident as a potential act of terrorism”], and [link url=”http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/18/us/minnesota-mall-stabbing/” title=”ISIS claimed responsibility”] for the attack.

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6. The FBI stopped a “vehicle of interest” on the Belt Parkway after it crossed the Verrazano Bridge in connection with the New York bombing. [link url=”http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/09/18/fbi-belt-parkway-car-stop/” title=”According to reports”], there were five occupants in the vehicle who had been taken into custody for questioning, but reports are conflicting. The latest [link url=”https://www.yahoo.com/news/five-people-taken-custody-connection-york-bombing-abc-034220335.html” title=”statement from the FBI”] indicates that although a traffic stop was conducted, no arrests were made nor have any charges been filed.
7. Late Saturday night, gunman Nicholas Glenn, 25, identified by Philadelphia officials, [link url=”https://www.yahoo.com/news/two-u-police-four-civilians-wounded-philadelphia-shooting-072345222.html” title=”shot two police officers and four civilians”], killing one civilian. Police Commissioner Richard Ross indicated that the gunman appeared to be trying to assassinate a 19-year veteran of the force, Sergeant Sylvia Young, who was sitting in her car.  The gunman was killed after a chase into an alley and an exchange of gunfire. According to reports, the [link url=”http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Philadelphia-Police-Officer-Shot-in-SW-Philly-393797511.html” title=”victims are listed in stable condition”].
8. Friday evening, passengers onboard an [link url=”https://www.yahoo.com/news/man-custody-armed-standoff-aboard-amtrak-train-160312179.html” title=”Amtrak train reported a man carrying a weapon”] who was acting erratically. Train officials were notified and the train was stopped in the San Fernando Valley, near Chatsworth while the 187 passengers were evacuated and police began investigating. The weapon yielding individual barricaded himself in the train and officials had to use tear gas to end the standoff. A handgun was recovered and the individual, identified by Amtrak as Darius Palmer, a resident of Oxnard, CA, [link url=”http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-chatsworth-amtrak-gunman-20160916-snap-story.html” title=”was taken into custody”] and charged with a felony possession of a firearm and making terrorist threats.

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