An explosive device has caused minor damage to a military recruitment centre on New York City's Times Square.
The centre was empty and no-one was injured in the pre-dawn blast, which smashed a glass window.
The recruiting station, located on a traffic island, has occasionally been the site of anti-war protests.
A US security official said the possibility of terrorism was being investigated but there was no sign of an immediate threat to the US.
US homeland security department spokesman Laura Keehner said the FBI had joined the investigation.
After the explosion in the early hours of Thursday, police cars blocked surrounding streets.
The traffic island, in the middle of the square, is surrounded by streets, theatres and restaurants. The recruiting station is one of the busiest in the US.
Witnesses staying at a Times Square hotel told the Associated Press news agency that they heard a "big bang" and could feel the building shake.
A plume of smoke was also visible after the explosion, they said.
At one point, subway trains passed through Times Square station without stopping but normal service later resumed.
By all appearances this is a nuisance affair - either an act of petty vandalism or domestic protest. The New York Times offers more detail:
Members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the large Police Department and F.B.I. unit that investigates terrorism, were at the scene of the blast, supporting the Police Department’s Bomb Squad, which along with other police detectives likely will take the lead role in investigating the incident, an F.B.I. official said. The official said that in today’s attack, a man in a gray hooded sweatshirt was seen leaving the scene on a bicycle.
The authorities were looking into whether the explosion was connected to two earlier blasts that were similar in method and timing, the official said. At about 3:40 a.m. on Oct. 26, 2007, two dummy hand grenades that had been fashioned into crude bombs exploded outside the Mexican Consulate at 27 East 39th Street in Murray Hill, shattering windows. The building was not occupied and no one was hurt. At 3:55 a.m. on May 5, 2005, two crude but powerful explosive devices detonated outside the British Consulate at 845 Third Avenue in East Midtown, shattering windows and damaging a planter.
Both attacks were captured on video surveillance. The arc of the device — with its lighted fuse – was visible on the videotape.
In the 2007 attack, a witness told police that a man in his 20s on a bicycle pedaled quickly away and turned south onto Park Avenue, the authorities said at the time. The bicyclist was wearing a hooded gray jacket and his face was partly covered, but the police could not say for certain that he threw the grenades.
In the two earlier incidents, the police said the improvised explosive devices were virtually identical. Both contained explosive powder. Both attacks occurred before dawn when there were few people on the street. And in both cases the devices were thrown against building facades.
At the time of the Mexican consulate attack, Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly described the two improvised explosives. He said they were training, or dummy, grenades — perhaps purchased from a novelty shop — that had been hollowed out and stuffed with gunpowder, possibly black powder, and equipped with pyrotechnic fuses. One had a smooth surface, modeled after the “lemon” type used in the Vietnam War, and the other was scored like the rough “pineapple” type used during World War II.
I like that the "possibility of terrorism" is being considered, as if terrorism is something specific to shadowy overseas organizations. But whatever this is, I expect it is of the garage or basement variety.
I've been watching the coverage. Some of the talking heads are shocked, shocked, shocked that the types of ammo boxes as used in this incident are readily available in Army/Navy stores and, wait for it, on the internet!
I have a pair of these ammo boxes and they are great for keeping things dry because they have a gasket along the inside of the lid, which latches shut.
[sarcasm]Don't be surprised if there's a crackdown on selling surplus ammo boxes.[/sarcasm]
Oh, yes, and the black powder used. Well, that will stay legal, I'm sure.
The fact that the Mexican consolate was attacked makes me suspect it was carried out by one of those Christian fundie nuts who shout, "God hates fags!" at military service members' funerals. (I can't think of a reason for an Islamist terrorist to attack Mexicans, except maybe because they're Catholics.)
Those gun nuts do not understand the meaning of "overkill," and will simply use weapon after weapon of mass destruction (WMD) until the monster is dead, or until they run out of weapons.
They have more WMD than there are monsters for us to fight. (More insanity here.)
I’d be a bit surprised if more then one person was behind this; very surprised if was more then two. It doesn’t usually make national news, but in the US small bombs turn up all the fucking time. That’s why everyone had bomb squads long before international terrorism was considered more then a very remote threat. Anyone with more then two brain cells that occasionally collide can make a bomb from household chemicals, buying some perfectly legal black powder or even smokeless propellant is cheating I say!
"This cult of special forces is as sensible as to form a Royal Corps of Tree Climbers and say that no soldier who does not wear its green hat with a bunch of oak leaves stuck in it should be expected to climb a tree"
— Field Marshal William Slim 1956
Sidewinder wrote:The fact that the Mexican consolate was attacked makes me suspect it was carried out by one of those Christian fundie nuts who shout, "God hates fags!" at military service members' funerals. (I can't think of a reason for an Islamist terrorist to attack Mexicans, except maybe because they're Catholics.)
Perhaps the attack against that particular consulate was one where the bomber just wanted to attack any embassy, not caring which one? If not, perhaps it's supposed to be a threat against Mexicans (immigrants, especially) in particular, regardless of religious affiliation.
Bit of an update, now the story is that the letters that were claiming responsibility are apparently not connected to the attack itself:
Times Square Bomber's Bike Found
Police Looking at Canada Border Stop for Bombing Clues
By RICHARD ESPOSITO
March 7, 2008—
Police believe they may have found the bicycle used as a getaway vehicle by the Times Square bomber and no longer believe that a taunting letter sent to members of Congress has anything to do with the explosion.
Federal officials are, however, reviewing a stop made on the Canadian border a month ago that may hold clues to the bomber's identity.
The bicycle was found several blocks away from the Army recruiting station that was hit by a small device early Thursday morning, blowing out its window.
The 10-speed bike looked relatively new, but was nevertheless dumped in the trash at Madison Avenue and 38th Street and found by a building superintendent who called police.
"I don't think anyone was seen leaving the bike," said New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.
The bomber is seen on a grainy surveillance tape riding into Times Square early Thursday morning, getting off the bike and walking over to the recruiting center. Moments later, there is an explosion.
Later Thursday, police scrambled to review letters that were received by about 10 members of Congress. The mailed packets included a long anti-war manifesto along with a photo of a man standing in front of the recruiting center with the words, "Happy New Year. We did it."
But Kelly described the letter as "innocuous" and federal officials believe its arrival in Washington was just a bizarre coincidence.
The letters had a Los Angeles return address on them and police interviewed the man who lived at that address Thursday night. One thing that was clear is that the man was not in New York City early Thursday morning, sources said.
"I think the FBI has come to the conclusion that this individual is not involved," Kelly told CNN.
Of growing interest to investigators, however, is a stop made on the Canadian border about a month ago.
High level law enforcement sources told ABC News that the stop, made by Canadian authorities, has yielded evidence that may be linked to the bombing and that individuals are being sought in connection with the case.
Canadian authorities are not commenting on the matter either to confirm or deny, but sources told ABC News that U.S. and Canadian officials are reviewing the incident.
When the vehicle was stopped for a border inspection, there were four people in the car, but one man jumped out and fled. A search of the car found photos of Times Square in a backpack, including pictures of the Times Square recruiting station.
The material was passed on to U.S. authorities at the time, but an investigation did not turn up any evidence of criminal activity. In light of Thursday's bombing the leads were being reinvestigated, sources said.
Police are also trying to determine whether the Times Square bombing is linked to two earlier incidents in which crude homemade bombs were tossed at the British and Mexican consulates.
In all cases the devices were tossed just before 4 a.m., black powder was used, there were no injuries and property damage was limited to broken windows, door frames and flower pots.
Most important is that in all cases a person was seen either casing the scene on a bicycle, tossing the devices from a bicycle or leaving the scene on a bike.
Rogue 9 wrote:The letter contained a photo of the very recruitment center that was bombed, did it not? That's one hell of a coincidence.
If my memory is correct, the recruitment center is on an island in the middle of Times Square, where photographers can get a good view of the whole place.
Yes, because the best way to get a country to stop engaging in violent actions against another country is.....to engage in violent actions with their own country.
While the recruitment center is apparently a very public and visible location, what's to say that the address in the letter wasn't chosen out of a phone book? Or, perhaps, was someone that the perpetrator didn't like all that much?
That the return address was unconnected the the bombing doesn't mean that the packets themselves weren't.
FSTargetDrone wrote:I've been watching the coverage. Some of the talking heads are shocked, shocked, shocked that the types of ammo boxes as used in this incident are readily available in Army/Navy stores and, wait for it, on the internet!
I have a pair of these ammo boxes and they are great for keeping things dry because they have a gasket along the inside of the lid, which latches shut.
[sarcasm]Don't be surprised if there's a crackdown on selling surplus ammo boxes.[/sarcasm]
Oh, yes, and the black powder used. Well, that will stay legal, I'm sure.
My grandfather had a box used for storing grenades (iirc) that he used to keep stuff in. It must not be too uncommon.
Your head is humming and it won't go, in case you don't know, the piper's calling you to join him
Qwerty 42 wrote:My grandfather had a box used for storing grenades (iirc) that he used to keep stuff in. It must not be too uncommon.
Yeah, I got mine at an Army/Navy surplus equipment store ages ago over 15 years ago. At the time, there were shelves full of them and I picked out two. People who Geocache sometimes use them to store the cache outdoors, since they are water-resistant and quite sturdy. Googling "surplus ammo containers" results in lots of links, with all kinds of boxes for sale.
Simplicius wrote:That the return address was unconnected the the bombing doesn't mean that the packets themselves weren't.
Damn the return address, you can write anything for it. It's the USPO stamp stating where it was taken in that should be looked at.
I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season."
Your head is humming and it won't go, in case you don't know, the piper's calling you to join him