Federal Terrorism Charges Filed Against NYC Subway Bombing Suspect Akayed Ullah 
 
 The U.S. Attorney's Office in southern New York has filed federal terrorism charges against Akayed Ullah, the 27-year-old man who police say attempted to carry out a suicide bombing in a pedestrian tunnel near the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan on Monday. 
 
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 Acting U.S. Attorney Joon Kim said Ullah "came to kill, to maim, and to destroy" as thousands of New Yorkers were using the transit system to get to work and go about their lives. Ullah acted "in support of a vicious cause," Kim said. 
 
 Ullah was taken into custody — and to the hospital — after he suffered burns to his hands and abdomen in a subway station tunnel near Times Square during the Monday morning rush hour. Police say he was wearing an improvised explosive device based on a pipe bomb. Three people who were near the explosion suffered minor injuries. 
 
 Ullah had been inspired and radicalized by the ISIS extremist group, Kim said in announcing charges against him on Tuesday. 
 
 Shortly before the morning attack, prosecutors say in the charging document, Ullah posted an update to his Facebook account on Monday that stated, "Trump you failed to protect your nation." 
 
 Ullah faces five charges, ranging from providing material support to a terrorist group to using a weapon of mass destruction. 
 
 Ullah "admitted that he began researching how to build bombs about a year ago," had planned the attack for weeks and had built the bomb a week before his attack, Kim said. The prosecutor added that Ullah chose the subway as his target in an effort to maximize the human casualties. The bomb had been filled with metal screws and attached to his body with zip ties, the authorities say. 
 
 The criminal complaint against Ullah includes a snapshot from surveillance video of the scene of the bombing immediately before the attack, highlighting Ullah's position in the crowded corridor. 
 
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 A search of Ullah's Brooklyn apartment revealed pipes, wires and other materials that suggest the bomb was made there, Kim said. 
 
 Kim said Ullah had also left a handwritten note that said, "O America, die in your rage." 
 
 The suspect had become radicalized through "pro-ISIS materials online" at least as far back as 2014, according to court documents filed by Kim's office. 
 
 Ullah remains in the hospital; he will appear before a judge remotely — likely through a video conference, Kim said. ||||| Police officers patrol in the passageway connecting New York City's Port Authority bus terminal and the Times Square subway station Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017, near the site of Monday's explosion. Commuters... (Associated Press) 
 
 Police officers patrol in the passageway connecting New York City's Port Authority bus terminal and the Times Square subway station Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017, near the site of Monday's explosion. Commuters returning to New York City's subway system on Tuesday were met with heightened security a day after... (Associated Press) 
 
 NEW YORK (AP) — A Bangladeshi immigrant arrested in a New York subway bombing mocked President Donald Trump on social media while on his way to carry out the botched suicide mission, authorities said as they brought federal charges against him Tuesday. 
 
 Akayed Ullah posted a statement on his Facebook account just before the Monday morning attack, stating: "Trump you failed to protect your nation," the criminal complaint said. He also told law enforcement officers at the hospital where he was taken with burn injuries to the body and hands: "I did it for the Islamic State," according to the complaint. 
 
 His rush-hour attack fizzled in a long walkway used by commuters moving between trains in the city's busiest subway station at Times Square. Three pedestrians complained of harmed hearing and headaches after the bomb went off. 
 
 Ullah, 27, was expected to appear before a magistrate judge, though it was not immediately clear if he was well enough to go to court. 
 
 During a search of his Brooklyn apartment, investigators recovered a passport with the words "O America, die in rage" scrawled in it, the complaint says. 
 
 He hoped to "terrorize as many people as possible" with a bomb filled with metal screws that he believed would cause maximum damage, the complaint said. 
 
 The complaint charged Ullah with providing material support to a terrorist group, use of a weapon of mass destruction and three bomb-related counts. 
 
 It was not immediately clear who would represent Ullah in court. 
 
 A news conference was planned for later Tuesday. 
 
 According to the complaint, Ullah started to become radicalized in 2014 and began researching how to build bomb after he had "viewed pro-ISIS materials online, including a video instructing, in substance, that if supporters of ISIS were unable to travel overseas to join ISIS, they should carry out attacks in their homelands." 
 
 Overseas, Bangladesh counterterrorism officers were questioning Ullah's wife and other relatives, officials there said Tuesday. Relatives and police said Ullah last visited Bangladesh in September to see his wife and newborn son before leaving them behind to return the United States. 
 
 Hours after Monday's explosion, Trump cited the background of the bomber in renewing his call for closer scrutiny of foreigners who come to the country and less immigration based on family ties. 
 
 Ullah — who told investigators he wanted to retaliate for American action against Islamic State extremists — came to the U.S. from Bangladesh in 2011 on a visa available to certain relatives of U.S. citizens. 
 
 "Today's terror suspect entered our country through extended-family chain migration, which is incompatible with national security," Trump said in a statement that called for various changes to the immigration system. Earlier, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump's proposed policies "could have prevented this." 
 
 On his last visit to Bangladesh, the suspect mostly remained inside a small apartment in Dhaka's Hazribagh area, said his uncle, Abdul Ahad. His nephew arrived in Bangladesh on Sept. 8 and returned to New York on Oct. 22, he said. 
 
 "He went out of his residence to offer prayers at a nearby mosque," Ahad told The Associated Press. 
 
 In a scenario New York had dreaded for years, Ullah strapped on a crude pipe bomb with Velcro and plastic ties, slipped unnoticed into the nation's busiest subway system and set off the device, authorities said. 
 
 The bomb didn't work as intended; authorities said Ullah was the only person seriously wounded. But the attack sent frightened commuters fleeing through a smoky passageway. 
 
 Ullah's low-tech bomb used explosive powder, a nine-volt battery, a Christmas light and matches, officials said. Investigators said the suspect was seen on surveillance footage igniting the bomb. In the end, it wasn't powerful enough to turn the pipe into deadly shrapnel, the officials said. 
 
 Law enforcement officials said Ullah looked at IS propaganda online but is not known to have any direct contact with the militants and probably acted alone. 
 
 The attack came less than two months after eight people died near the World Trade Center in a truck attack that, authorities said, was carried out by an Uzbek immigrant who admired the Islamic State group. 
 
 Ullah lived with his father, mother and brother in a Brooklyn neighborhood with a large Bangladeshi community, residents said. He was licensed to drive a livery cab between 2012 and 2015, but the license was allowed to lapse, according to law enforcement officials and New York City's Taxi and Limousine Commission. 
 
 John Miller, NYPD's Deputy Commissioner for Counterterrorism, said Tuesday on CBS "This Morning" that Ullah didn't seem to have any obvious problems. 
 
 He "was living here, went through number of jobs, was not particularly struggling financially or had any known pressures," Miller said, adding Ullah "was not on our radar at NYPD, not on the FBI radar." 
 
 Security cameras captured the attacker walking casually through a crowded passageway when the bomb went off around 7:20 a.m. A plume of white smoke cleared to show the man sprawled on the ground and commuters scattering. 
 
 Port Authority police said officers found the man injured on the ground, with wires protruding from his jacket and the device strapped to his torso. They said he was reaching for a cellphone and they grabbed his hands. 
 
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 Associated Press writers Tom Hays, Jake Pearson, Kiley Armstrong, Larry Neumeister and David James Jeans in New York, Michael Balsamo in Los Angeles, Matt Pennington in Washington, D.C., and AP researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report. ||||| CLOSE New York City bomb suspect Akayed Ullah's family says they're heartbroken and saddened by the suffering the attack caused. However, in a statement the family also said they're outraged by alleged law enforcement actions following Ullah's arrest. (Dec. 12) AP 
 
 Akayed Ullah of Brooklyn, N.Y., had a New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission for-hire vehicle driver’s license from March 2012 through March 2015. He did not renew his license in 2015. (Photo: New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission) 
 
 NEW YORK — Bangladesh native Akayed Ullah taunted President Trump in a Facebook post minutes before igniting bedlam with a botched bombing in New York City's crowded Times Square transit hub at rush hour, authorities said Tuesday. 
 
 “On the way to carrying out the December 11 attack, Ullah posted a statement on his Facebook account that stated, 'Trump you failed to protect your nation,'" according to a federal court complaint filed by Special Agent Joseph Cerciello with Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. 
 
 The five-count complaint charges the Brooklyn resident with bombing a public place, use of a weapon of mass destruction, providing support for the Islamic State, destruction of property by fire or explosives and use of a destructive device in furtherance of a crime of violence. 
 
 Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions cited the attack Tuesday in calling on Congress to tighten immigration rules. Ullah came to the U.S. in 2011 on an F-4 visa that's available for immigrants with relatives who are U.S. citizens — the "chain migration" program Trump has vowed to end. 
 
 Lee Francis Cissna, director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, also cited issues with the visa lottery at a White House press briefing. 
 
 "Because the criteria are so low, either you have no education at all and very little skills, or you have a minimum of education and no skills at all," he said. "And because it’s a lottery, pretty much anybody on the planet who’s from a qualifying country can take advantage of this." 
 
 Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon Kim said at a news conference Tuesday that Ullah "came to kill, to maim, to destroy," and expected to die in the explosion. He had no respect for American "virtues," Kim added. 
 
 "Ullah will find here another great American virtue, and that is justice," Kim said. "And that justice will be tough, it will be fair, and it will be swift." 
 
 Ullah's first court appearance is expected to be a "bedside presentment" by video conference from Bellevue Hospital on Wednesday, Kim's office said. The bomb suspect was being treated for burns and cuts to his abdomen and hands suffered in the blast. Three passersby suffered non-life-threatening injuries. 
 
 Ullah, 27, could face a sentence of a life term in prison if convicted on the use of weapons of mass destruction charge. 
 
 He admitted to investigators that he built the pipe bomb loaded with metal screws, saying he was inspired by the Islamic State, according to the court complaint. 
 
 Authorities say the bomb only partially detonated, a misfire that may have saved many lives. 
 
 “Ullah carried out the December 11 attack in part because of the United States Government’s policies in, among other places, the Middle East," the complaint stated. Ullah hoped to "terrorize as many people as possible" and conducted his attack on a workday hoping to impact more people, the complaint alleged. 
 
 Ullah’s radicalization began as far back as 2014, the complaint said. He viewed online material of the Islamic terror group ISIS, “including a video instructing, in substance, that if supporters of ISIS were unable to travel overseas to join ISIS, they should carry out attacks in their homelands," the complaint said. 
 
 More: Suspect in Times Square blast timed assault for maximum impact 
 
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 Ullah began searching the Internet about a year ago for information about building improvised explosive devices, the complaint charged. 
 
 Federal investigators who searched the accused terrorist's Brooklyn home recovered material that potentially could be used to produce other bombs. The list included metal pipes, pieces of wire and fragments of what appeared to be Christmas tree lights and multiple screws consistent with the screws found at the bombing scene. 
 
 Also found was a passport with the name Akayet Ullah that featured multiple handwritten notations, including “O AMERICA, DIE IN YOUR RAGE,” the complaint alleged. 
 
 Kim characterized that statement as "chilling." While declining to discuss the suspected intent behind Ullah's Facebook post about Trump, Kim said Ullah told investigators he had "issues" with "American Middle East policies." 
 
 Earlier Tuesday, the New York City Police Department announced that Ullah faced state charges including criminal possession of a weapon, supporting an act of terrorism and making terroristic threats. 
 
 Ullah detonated the device, which was strapped to his body, in the crowded pedestrian tunnel Monday typically used by thousands of riders from 10 subway lines around 7:20 a.m. ET, Police Commissioner James O'Neill said. The device apparently failed to completely detonate, even though investigators said Ullah had some experience with electrical work. 
 
 Ullah had not been on the radar of law enforcement prior to Monday's blast, John Miller, NYPD's deputy commissioner for counterterrorism and intelligence, told CBS This Morning. He said Ullah did not appear to have been struggling financially or facing any other particular pressures. 
 
 "He was somewhat characteristic of what we've been seeing across the world, which is someone who turns up one day out of the blue," Miller said. Authorities have described Ullah as a lone wolf who was inspired by the Islamic State, a common theme in recent attacks, Miller said. 
 
 “The conspiracy is within the confines of their own mind," Miller said. "That’s a very hard place to get to." 
 
 The city's morning commute ran smoothly Tuesday, and the pedestrian tunnel where Ullah detonated the pipe bomb was open and crowded with commuters. 
 
 A statement released Monday night by relatives said Ullah's family is deeply saddened by the suffering the attack has caused — but also outraged by the way family members were targeted by law enforcement. The statement said a teen relative of Ullah was removed from class and questioned without a parent, guardian or attorney present. 
 
 In Dhaka, Bangladesh, police have been questioning Ullah 's wife and other relatives, Banglanews24 reported Tuesday. Ullah's wife, Jannatul Ferdous Jui, 25, lives there with the couple's 6-month-old son, the news outlet reported. 
 
 Bacon reported from McLean, Va. Contributing: Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY 
 
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– Before detonating a pipe bomb near Times Square Monday morning, Akayed Ullah reportedly took the time to update his Facebook status—and his message was about President Trump. The detail comes via the five-count federal complaint filed against him Tuesday (NPR posts the complaint in full here), and USA Today has the relevant passage: "On the way to carrying out the December 11 attack, Ullah posted a statement on his Facebook account stating, 'Trump you failed to protect your nation.'" The complaint also unpacks his motive per comments the 27-year-old allegedly made to investigators. "I did it for the Islamic State," he said, according to the AP. The complaint alleges Ullah specifically chose a workday to carry out the attack in order to "terrorize as many people as possible," and that he attacked "because of the United States Government's policies in, among other places, the Middle East." The complaint lays out a timeline that dates his radicalization to 2014, details pro-ISIS materials he viewed online, and notes he began to research bomb-making online within roughly the last 12 months. In Ullah's native Bangladesh, counterterrorism officers are interviewing Ullah's wife (who reportedly gave birth to the couple's son 6 months ago) and other family members, whom Ullah last visited in September. Among the charges Ullah faces: bombing a public place, use of a weapon of mass destruction, and providing support to ISIS.