Dec. 11 brought heartache to the citizens of New York as a suspected terrorist detonated an explosive device in the New York City subway system. This attack is the latest amongst the wave of terrorism that continues to flood the U.S. and the entire world as ISIS propaganda spreads.

The suspect, 27-year-old Akayed Ullah, told authorities he was self-inspired by ISIS to carry out the attack. At approximately 7:20 a.m. on Monday, an explosion was heard in an underground passageway just blocks away from Times Square. Despite the rush hour crowds, only five individuals suffered minor injuries, officials said. Ullah also suffered injuries and has been hospitalized since the attack.

While using instructions from the Internet, Ullah told officials he assembled the explosive device at his workplace. During his commute from Brooklyn, Ullah wore the explosive strapped to him while taking the subway to Manhattan, leading law enforcement to believe he was prepared to die as a suicide bomber.

Officials told the Associated Press the bomb was ignited with matches, a nine-volt battery and a Christmas light. Considering over 6 million people travel the subway system daily, law enforcement said the attack could have been much worse if it had entirely worked in Ullah’s favor. The pipe used to assemble the explosive did not fully shatter, as it was made to do, causing less destruction and tragedy than Ullah intended.

The explosion happened just two months after a native of Uzbekistan plowed through a crowd in Manhattan, killing eight people. As New York recovers from Monday’s attack, terrorism remains a prominent issue in our country –  and its tragic impact continues to linger throughout the entire world as it spreads.