29 Hurt in Manhattan Explosion; Suspicious Package Probed

Members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) carry on the investigations in the scene of an explosion on West 23rd Street and 6th Avenue in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood in New York, early Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016. An explosion rocked a crowded Manhattan neighborhood and injured more than two dozen people, and a suspicious device discovered blocks away was safely removed early Sunday. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

NEW YORK (AP) — An explosion rocked a crowded Manhattan neighborhood and injured 29 people, and a suspicious device discovered blocks away from the scene was safely removed. Mayor Bill de Blasio ruled out any terror connections, but called the blast an “intentional act.”

Early Sunday, police said an investigation into a third suspicious package turned up a bag of trash.

An explosion rocked the block of West 23rd Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Officials said 29 people were injured. Most of the injuries were minor.

The blast is under investigation. A law enforcement official tells The Associated Press that the second device discovered a few blocks from the scene appeared to be a pressure cooker attached to wiring and a cellphone.