One attacker has been shot dead and another arrested after a series of attacks on US soil over the weekend.
On Saturday morning, a pipe bomb exploded on the route of a charity running race in New Jersey, but failed to injure anybody as the road was empty at the time. The race, which was planned to raise money for military veterans, had been delayed because of fears about an unattended bag, and was then cancelled following the explosion.
Later that day, a man disguised as a security guard stabbed eight people in a shopping centre in St Cloud, Minnesota before being shot and killed by an off-duty police officer. The attacker is believed to be of Somali-American origin and is reported to have asked victims if they were Muslim during the attack.
At roughly the same time in Manhattan, New York, a pressure cooker filled with shrapnel exploded, injuring 29 people. All those injured in the blast were released from hospital on Sunday. A second pressure cooker bomb, the same style as those that exploded during the Boston marathon in 2013, was discovered four blocks away and safely removed.
Afghan-born US citizen Ahmad Khan Rahami, named as the suspect behind the New York bombs, was arrested on Monday morning.
Overnight on Sunday, five explosive devices were discovered in a backpack in a rubbish bin in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Four of the bombs were safely removed, but one exploded as it was being investigated by a bomb disposal robot.
Authorities do not know whether the attacks were coordinated and the motive for them remains unclear.
The Islamic State has claimed that the Minnesota attacker was one of its fighters, but the FBI says it has not been able to find any link. The group has long called for “lone wolf” attacks in the US and Europe, and as it is being beaten back on all fronts in Syria, Iraq, and Libya analysts have warned of a potential rise in international terrorist acts.
