(Reuters)– New York City will deploy a “bigger than ever” police presence during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday after an explosion injured 29 on Saturday evening.
Police officers will be deployed in force in key public locations around the UN headquarters and Times Square, including the newer units of the Critical Response Command and Strategic Response Group, de Blasio added at a press conference on the explosion.
The city will also see an increase in bag searches and canine activities throughout its mass transit systems, said city officials.
At the press conference, the mayor said all 29 people wounded in Saturday’s blast have been released from hospitals and the motivation behind the explosion remains unknown.
He termed the blast, which occurred at around 20:30 Saturday on 23rd Street in Manhattan’s popular Chelsea district, an “intentional” and “criminal” act.
The mayor declined to call it a terrorist attack, adding that an investigation is under way and a lot more work still needs to be done to find out the motivation behind the blast.
About a 1.5 kilometer area between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue of 23rd Street remained cordoned off on Sunday and police vehicles could be seen driving in and out.
Shops in the area were closed and residents had to show their IDs in order to return to their homes.
“I come for delivery but I can’t walk on the 23rd so I have to take 22nd street and customer has to meet me over there,” said a courier who was forced to take a detour and meet his client on another street.
A second explosive device was found a few blocks away from the explosion site.
The mayor noted that there was no specific and credible threat against the city, calling for the vigilance of New Yorkers and asking for tips and information from the public.
He also said there was no specific evidence of any connection between the New York explosion and a New Jersey pipe bomb blast, which happened on Saturday along the route of a Marines charity run, causing no injuries or damage.
Meanwhile, New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill said at the press conference that no one has claimed responsibility for the New York explosion, which he categorized as a “violent criminal act”.
City officials confirmed that the explosion in the popular Chelsea neighborhood was caused by a bomb with components indicative of an improvised explosive device, not an accident.
New York police are beefing up security at bus terminals, airports and on subways in the city for the UN General Assembly.
In an earlier press briefing, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state will be deploying an additional 1,000 state troopers and members of the National Guard throughout New York City.
The suspects and their motives remain unknown, and investigations are still in the early stages, according to city officials. (Reuters/CCTV)