Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on Sunday released a statement condemning what she called “the apparent terrorist attacks” in Minnesota, New Jersey, and New York over the weekend.
“I pray for all of those who were wounded, and for their families. Once again, we saw the bravery of our first responders who run toward danger to help others. Their quick actions saved lives,” she said.
“Law enforcement officials are working to identify who was behind the attacks in New York and New Jersey and we should give them the support they need to finish the job and bring those responsible to justice - we will not rest until that happens,” continued Clinton.
“ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack in Minnesota,” she pointed out, “and this should steel our resolve to protect our country and defeat ISIS and other terrorist groups. I have laid out a comprehensive plan to do that. This includes launching an intelligence surge to help identify and thwart attacks before they can be carried out, and to spot lone wolf attackers. We also need to work with Silicon Valley to counter propaganda and recruitment efforts online.
“Americans have faced threats before, and our resilience in the face of them only makes us stronger. I am confident we will once again choose resolve over fear,” Clinton concluded.
The statement was sharper than Clinton's statement to reporters earlier on Sunday, when she refrained from commenting about the potential background to the explosions, saying only, "Obviously, we need to wait until the end of the investigation. I'll have more to say about it when we actually know the facts."
Investigators said on Sunday they were investigating the three separate incidents of violence in New York, New Jersey and Minnesota as potential terror attacks, The Los Angeles Times reported.
So far, investigators have not found any link between the three.
An explosion that injured 29 people in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood on Saturday night has been described as an “intentional act,” but there so far are no concrete links to international terrorist groups, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday.
Speaking to reporters at the scene, Cuomo added that “a bomb exploding in New York is obviously an act of terrorism.”
In a Sunday morning teleconference among senior counter-terrorism officials, investigators said they were proceeding under the theory that the Chelsea explosion was an act of terrorism, but had few leads to follow this early on, an official who discussed the call on condition of anonymity told The Los Angeles Times.
Shortly after the blast in Chelsea, police found an unexploded device in a pressure cooker about four blocks away. Cuomo said both devices have been sent to FBI labs for further analysis.
About half an hour after the explosion in New York on Saturday, a man wearing a private security uniform stabbed nine people at a mall in St. Cloud, Minnesota, an attack later claimed by ISIS through its Amaq news agency.
Even before the explosion in New York on Saturday, a pipe bomb went off before a Marine charity race in Seaside Park, New Jersey.
The race had not started when the bomb exploded in a garbage can near the race course. There were no injuries. In the wake of the explosion, the race was cancelled.