‘I’m The NY Bomber’ Police Investigating Manifesto From Activist Claiming Responsibility For Chelsea Explosion
An explosion injured 29 people Saturday night in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood shortly before a second explosive device was found nearby, and authorities still haven’t pieced together a motive, although one man is claiming responsibility.
The NYPD is investigating a now-deleted Tumblr page, “I’m the NY Bomber,” in which an LGBTQ activist claims to have been responsible for Saturday’s explosion, according to the Daily Mail.
“I don’t know exactly how I feel about taking human lives. However, what I do know is that if I don’t do what needs to be done nobody will pay attention.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters the Chelsea bombing was a deliberate act, but it didn’t appear to be an act of international terrorism. He called for patience as police officers are still investigating the explosion and the discovery of a pressure cooker found nearby wrapped in silver tape and connected to a cell phone, according to the New York Times.
One LGBTQ activist is taking responsibility for the explosion claiming to have committed the act of violence as a way to draw attention to the oppression felt by minority groups across the country.
On the now-deleted Tumblr page, which has a rainbow flag as its banner, the supposed NY bomber claims to have planned the explosion in Chelsea to protest society’s treatment of the LGBTQ community. The individual says members of the LGBTQ community are much more likely to commit suicide and society doesn’t seem to notice their deaths, according to Pix11.
“What if people from the LGBTQ+ community started lashing out in response to the violence and oppression we face with violence and possibly oppression? I’m sure that would give people a reason to not stand by while so many people are being oppressed.”
The individual claiming to be the NY bomber goes on to say Saturday’s explosion in Chelsea was merely a test run and more attacks have been planned for the future, according to the New York Daily News.
“The explosives detonated in New York City, that was me. Those were just some tests, I know where I have made errors and I will not make the same mistake next time. … This is not the end, this is just the beginning.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says NYC explosion doesn't appear to be linked to international terrorism. https://t.co/Ud1ftRQNvt
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 18, 2016
The self-professed bomb maker goes on to explain his motivations for causing the explosion in New York saying he violently opposes the discrimination felt by minority groups in the U.S.
On the Tumblr page, the individual equates Donald Trump and the entire Republican Party with racism, saying white people are to blame for inequality and police violence, according to Pix11.
“I am not going to live in a country where it is OK to have a misogynist, xenophobic, racist Islamophobic, republican candidate running for President of The United States!”
While authorities investigate the explosion, the second device, and the Tumblr page, some neighborhood streets in Chelsea have been closed. The governor has also deployed 1,000 National Guard troops and additional police officers to patrol area bus terminals, airports, and subway stations.
De Blasio told reporters there was still no evidence pointing to a connection between the explosion in Chelsea and a blast in New Jersey’s Seaside Park at the site of a planned charity run. No one was injured in the blast.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters the Chelsea explosion was obviously an act of terrorism, but whether it was an attack from foreign nationals or the act of a homegrown terrorist was still unclear.
Meanwhile, in St. Cloud, Minnesota, eight people were hospitalized after a man dressed as a private security officer went on a stabbing rampage in a shopping mall Saturday evening. The suspect was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer.
[Featured Photo by Andres Kudacki/AP Photo]
