FBI joins probe into Fox Island explosion, police say

The FBI is on the case of the mysterious explosion off the coast of Babylon on Sunday morning, with the aim of determining whether terrorism was involved, Suffolk police said Tuesday.

"The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force is part of the investigation," a department spokeswoman said.

She gave no further details. The FBI had no immediate comment Tuesday night.

The explosion on Fox Island rattled homes and businesses miles away. Police said 911 operators in both Nassau and Suffolk received calls from concerned residents. The explosion left a crater — four feet wide by two feet deep — on the Great South Bay island.

On Monday, Suffolk police, who are investigating, urged whoever caused the explosion to contact investigators to rule out the blast as a test run for criminal activities. A boat was seen leaving the island around the time of the detonation, police said.

Suffolk County Acting Police Commissioner Stuart Cameron said during a Monday news conference in Yaphank that the department is concerned why someone would detonate a device of this size and magnitude on an uninhabited island.

"So, we definitely want to find out who did it," Cameron said. "If you are the person responsible for this detonation, I encourage you to come forward and identify yourself to our department, so we can find the root cause of this incident and allay any concerns for the public."