Big Apple’s citizens taking a bite out of mayor for comments

NEW YORK — New Yorkers who heard Saturday’s bomb explode were blasting Mayor Bill de Blasio yesterday for not labeling the act as terrorism, saying political correctness was preventing him from accurately describing what they witnessed.

“When de Blasio came on and said this is not terrorism, I was shouting at the TV,” said Amy Marcs, who lives on 19th Street and heard the explosion. “It is terrorism, because people are afraid.”

In a late-night news conference on Saturday, de Blasio, joined by local and federal law enforcement officials, said there was no evidence connecting the Chelsea blast to terrorism.

“There is no specific and credible threat against New York City from any terror organization,” de Blasio said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo yesterday said the bomb was an “intentional act,” but there are no known links to international terrorist groups. But Cuomo added that “a bomb exploding in New York is obviously an act of terrorism.”

But yesterday, de Blasio doubled down, saying, “We’re going to be very careful and patient to get to the full truth here. We have more work to do to be able to say what kind of motivation was behind this. Was it a political motivation? A personal motivation? What was it? We do not know that yet.”

The explosion happened at 8:30 p.m. Saturday in front of a residence for the blind on 23rd Street, a busy east-west thoroughfare.

“I think it’s ridiculous,” said Melissa Korck, who lives on 20th Street and Eighth Avenue. “They should look up the definition of the word terrorism again.”

Korck said she thought the city has become less safe under de Blasio’s tenure and that police aren’t keeping as close an eye on quality of life issues, which she said can lead them to being less observant on other matters.

“People are very careful to say it because it’s political — say what it is, New Yorkers aren’t stupid,” Korck said. “It was a deliberately placed bomb, it’s a terrorist act.”