A homemade bomb found in a backpack near an Elizabeth, N.J. train station early this morning was inadvertently set off by a police robot.
Nobody was injured as authorities had cleared the area to investigate.
But the incident clearly adds to the tension, apprehension and frustration of a weekend filled with what appears to be terrorist attacks at everyday, normal locations as opposed to big landmarks.
Authorities have not said whether the device was connected to the bombing Saturday night in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood that injured 29 people, or the pipe bomb that went off on the route of a Marine Corps charity run in Seaside Park, N.J., or a stabbing at a mall in Minnesota.
According to multiple media reports, two men found the backpack near a popular Elizabeth bar in a garbage container near North Broad Street and Julian Place and admittedly took the bag to see if the backpack contained any valuables.
When they saw wires and a pipe, they immediately dropped the bag and called Elizabeth police to inform them of the suspicious nature of the backpack.
It turned out to be a wise and fortuitous decision. Police cleared the area, and state and federal authorities began to investigate.
The bomb went off at approximately 12:40 a.m. this morning.
Authorities found five separate devices inside the backpack.
UPDATE, 10 A.M. -- The Associated Press is reporting the following:
UPDATE, 1 p.m.: Suspect Arrested After Shootout
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