Ullah was wearing a low-tech, homemade explosive device, affixed to his body with zipties and Velcro when he detonated the bomb at approximately 7:20 a.m. on Monday in an underground subway passageway between 42nd Street and 8th Avenue and 42nd Street and 7th Avenue in Manhattan, officials said during a press conference moments ago near the site of the blast.
Officials are calling the incident a terrorist attack.
Ullah suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries, including burns to his hands and abdomen and lacerations, according to FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro.
He was taken into custody and transported to Bellevue Hospital.
Three people in the vicinity of the explosion went to area hospitals with minor injuries that include headaches and ringing of the ears, Nigro said.
Miraculously there were no other injuries.
Photos purported to be the suspect lying on the ground are circulating on social media.
It was not immediately clear if the walkway was Ullah's initial target, authorities said, or if his intention was to find a more heavily-populated area.
"Thank God the perpetrator did not achieve his ultimate goals," Mayor Bill de Blasio said during the press conference.
The suspect tried to detonate the device but only part of it went off, according to the New York Daily News.
Several Port Authority Police officers stepped in and took him into custody, the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association said.
According to published reports, Ullah is a Bangladeshi native living in Brooklyn. Officials did not confirm any details about him beyond his name and age.
When asked if the suspect was inspired by ISIS, NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill said he made statements to authorites, but did not elaborate on the nature of those statements.
Some officials, including former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton and Rep. Daniel Donovan said on television or social media he was indeed ISIS inspired.
"It's very important for my fellow New Yorkers to know there are no additional known incidents at this time, there are no additional known activities," de Blasio said.
Still, officials said city residents can expect to see an enhanced NYPD presence across the five boroughs.
A law enforcement source said that may indeed be the case on Staten Island.
"This is NYC, we don't live in fear," O'Neill said. "But if you see something suspicious you have an obligation to come forward and tell us."
The Port Authority Bus Terminal has been re-opened.
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