Let me try to connect the dots with the fragmentary information which has emerged in the last hour. Much of this information is incomplete. I will try to be very specific about what information is coming from difference sources and the level of confirmation in each case.
[This post is being continually updated with new information.]
Two incidents, possibly related, have happened. New York City official city alerts report “police activity” in Elizabeth, New Jersey which has led to the stoppage of all train traffic leaving Penn Station in the direction of New Jersey.
Separately, the New York Daily News reports that police discovered “three pipe bombs and two smaller devices” at the train station in Elizabeth.
Presumably this is the same incident being described in these two separate reports.
Around the same time, there was a traffic stop on the Belt Parkway under the Verrazano Bridge. There are conflicting reports about precisely what happened. The New York Daily News reports five individuals were taken into custody and that the vehicle, an SUV, had a “weapons stash inside.”
The only official information on this front is a FBI New York tweet from 11:48 PM which read: “We did a traffic stop of a vehicle of interest in the investigation. No one has been charged with any crime. The investigation is continuing”
An AP report from 12:27 AM Monday morning says the car’s occupants are currently being questioned.
As yet, there is no clarity on whether the discovery of the pipe bombs in Elizabeth led to these arrests or even direct confirmation that police believe the arrested individuals are tied to the explosion last night in Chelsea.
