Officials believe that the cause  of the explosion in New York was a homemade bomb.

A second device was discovered by authorities four blocks away.

An official speaking to The New York Times on condition of anonymity said: “We don’t understand the target or the significance of it. It’s by a pile of Dumpsters on a random sidewalk.”

In addition to the FDNY and New York City Police Department, Homeland Security, and ATF reported to the scene. Officials said that as a precaution, police and fire personnel were searching for additional devices.

At 11:00 p.m., the NYPD reported that a “possible secondary device” had been discovered at 27th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, four blocks away from the site of the original blast.

This was a pressure cooker bomb, described as similar to those used in the Boston Marathon bombing; officers removed the item.

At least 29 people were injured, 24 of whom were taken to local hospitals, according to the FDNY.

None of the injuries were life-threatening, according to the FDNY, but one was seriously injured. Several of the injured were taken to Bellevue Hospital, including the seriously injured individual.

New York City Councilman Corey Johnson, who represents the district in which the explosion took place, said the explosion occurred outside the 14-story, 210-unit Associated Blind Housing building for blind and visually impaired people.

At a news conference, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the explosion was intentional, but there was no evidence of a terrorist attack at the time. Officials left open the possibility of arson or vandalism.

More on this as it develops.

George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison

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