A Londoner has described the aftermath of what police in the USA believe to be a "terror related" explosion in New York City.

Entrepreneur Julia Beliak arrived in the aftermath of the pipe bombing near the New York Port Authority terminal after she had taken a bus from Manhattan to Toronto and back.

The 25-year-old Uber manager said: "All major roads into town were closed with explosives-sniffing dogs and what looked liked special forces checking most cars, leading to major traffic jams.

"As the central bus station was still closed. We were let off the bus under a bridge a block away from the scene.

The bomb went off during the busy New York morning rush hour and injured four people, including the suspect, on Monday (December 10).

Bangladesh-born Akayed Ullah, 27, was arrested and charged with providing material support to terrorists and using weapons of mass destruction, on Wednesday (December 12).

Special forces secured the scene of the attack between Times Square and the New York port authority bus terminal

Ullah, who emigrated to the US in 2011, told the US authorities that he "did it for the Islamic State"

The victims of Ullah's failed suicide attack were left with hearing damage and headaches while he suffered burns to his body and hands from the bomb he had strapped to himself.

Ms Beliak arrived at the bus terminal about two hours after the explosion inside a subway underground passage between the terminal and Times Square.

"I decided to circle around the station to get an understanding of the situation," she said.

The country's largest bus hub along and eight subway lines were shut following the the blast.

"The first thing I noticed was classical music blasting everywhere - the station, nearby streets and even restaurants on the block - to keep people calm," Ms Beliak said.

A police cordon near the scene of the attack

She added: "Besides journalists and trucks from every major news outlet, there were representatives from a dozen different emergency response teams, most of which I couldn't even identify.

"The entire station was crowded with dogs, sniffing every corner, and giving me a little jump-scare every time they would bark.

"What I was also amazed by were the half-a-dozen or so support stations handing out free water, snacks, and providing counseling and help."

She said she was surprised the atmosphere wasn't as tense as she had expected.

"Resilient New Yorkers were going about their lives as usual - except of maybe being somewhat annoyed by the inconvenience caused by the suspended subway service," Ms Beliak continued.

A support station giving out water after the attack

Russian-born Ms Beliak, who grew up in Germany, lived in Islington for several years before moving to Moscow, last year.

It is not the first time Ms Beliak has witnessed a country's response to a terror threat.

She said: "Overall [it was] quite reminiscent of what I experienced and shared on Facebook three years ago, when the guy standing right next to me threw [what was] at the time though to be a bomb over the White House fence."

The attacker addressed US President Trump in a Facebook post ahead of the attack saying "Trump you failed to protect your nation", according to court documents.

President Donald Trump called for more checks on immigrants following the attack. "Today's terror suspect entered our country through extended-family chain migration, which is incompatible with national security," Mr Trump said in a statement on Monday (December 11).

Former Londoner Julia Beliak pictured here in Paris

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