NYC Evacuation: Crude Car Bomb Found in Times Square, Suspected Bomb in Pittsburgh Along Marathon Route (video)
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on May 3, 2010
In what could have been a tragedy of enormous proportions over the weekend, a crude car bomb failed to explode in New York City’s Time Square.
There are plenty of suspects. Terrorists could be behind the car bomb (the Pakistani Taliban has taken credit, but authorities are skeptical since the terrorist group has taken false credit in the past — later, the Pakistani Taliban denied involvement), and some reports have speculated that it could be retaliation against the TV animation South Park, which recently poked fun at Islamic prophet Muhammad. A NY-based Internet website threatened the show’s creators last week.
Airport security has been ramped up on the East Coast, and what was believed to be a bomb was detonated near the finish of the Pittsburgh Marathon.
From New York Times, Police Seek Man Taped Near Times Square Bomb Scene:
Law enforcement officials offered a more detailed description of the makeup of the failed car bomb found in Times Square on Saturday night, and said they were reviewing surveillance footage that showed a white man who appeared to be in his 40s walking away from the area as he looked over his shoulder and removed a layer of clothing.
Raymond W. Kelly, the New York City police commissioner, said on Sunday that the materials found in the Nissan Pathfinder — gasoline, propane, firecrackers and simple alarm clocks — also included eight bags of a granular substance, later determined to be nonexplosive grade of fertilizer, inside a 55-inch-tall metal gun locker.
The bomb, Mr. Kelly said, “would have caused casualties, a significant fireball.”
Had it exploded, said Paul J. Browne, the Police Department’s chief spokesman, “It would have been, in all likelihood, a good possibility of people being killed, windows shattered, but not resulting in a building collapse.”
While the authorities said they were treating the failed bombing — described as a “one-off” by Janet Napolitano, the homeland security secretary — as a potential terrorist attack, they said there was no evidence of a continued threat to the city.
Additional patrols will be placed in Midtown, Mr. Kelly said, but no significant increase in the city’s police presence was planned.
F.B.I. agents and detectives had identified and were seeking to interview the owner of the Pathfinder, which was traced to Connecticut. The owner’s name was not made public.
No motive had been determined in the attempted bombing, and federal and local officials said there was no evidence to support a claim of responsibility issued Sunday by a Pakistani Taliban group that has a reputation for making far-fetched attempts to take credit for attacks.
From The Daily Caller, Times Square car bomb: police investigate South Park link:
Police in New York are investigating whether a car bomb in Times Square was targeted at the makers of South Park over a controversial depiction of the Prophet Mohammed.
The device, which failed to detonate, was left near the offices of Viacom, which owns the irreverent cartoon series.
Detectives are also understood to be investigating striking similarities between the New York bomb and two car bombs planted by Islamic terrorists outside the Tiger Tiger nightclub in London in 2007.
In both cases, the devices comprised cylinders of propane gas and cans full of petrol intended to be ignited by electronic detonators.
Cops Find Suspected Car Bomb in Times Square
From NY Daily News, Police eyeing link to South Park in Times Square car bomb:
Police hunting the man who parked a crude but powerful car bomb in Times Square Saturday night are looking into a possible link to a South Park cartoon lampooning censorship about Mohammed.
No link has been established, but threats against the Comedy Central animators were made by a New York Islamist Web site last month and police are aggressively looking for connections, sources told the Daily News.
The dark-colored Nissan SUV, its engine running and hazard lights flashing, was parked on W. 45th St. right next to the Broadway headquarters of Viacom, which owns Comedy Central.
The Pathfinder was packed with propane, gasoline and fireworks and a rudimentary fuse had already been ignited.
A vendor saved the day when he saw smoke curling from the car at about 6:30 p.m. and alerted Officer Wayne Rhatigan.
The materials were primitive, but if the SUV had blown, officials said the inferno would have eclipsed the blazing lights of the Crossroads of the World.
Russia Today: Times Square Bomb Scare: ‘Very Deadly’ Blast Averted
Runners in the Pittsburgh Marathon were detoured as they approached the finish line when a suspected pipe bomb near a bus station near the end of the course.
BOMB DETONATES AT PITTSBURGH MARATHON
From NY Daily News, Pittsburgh marathon disrupted by bomb scare; race route changed after device found in microwave:
PITTSBURGH — Police say a suspected device near the finish line of the Pittsburgh Marathon prompted them to halt the race briefly while it was rendered harmless.
Police say the device was found in a small microwave oven on the sidewalk after the leaders had finished the course Sunday morning. Police Lt. Kevin Kraus says several blocks were cordoned off near the original finish line for the marathon and half-marathon and police tried to reroute the race but eventually ended up delaying it for 10 to 12 minutes.
The bomb squad used a robot to disable the device, which Kraus says investigators now believe was not an actual explosive.
The all-clear was given shortly before 11 a.m. About 5,000 people took part in the full marathon.
The disruption comes a day after a car-bomb scare in New York emptied Times Square.
From MyFOX NY: Pakistani Taliban Claims Responsibility, Reports Claim:
New York City’s police commissioner says there’s no evidence of a Taliban link to a failed bomb found in an SUV parked in Times Square but said he couldn’t rule them out.
On Sunday, Fox 5 reported on a Reuters story that the Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for the bomb plot.
According to Fox News, in a 1 minute video allegedly released by the Pakistani Taliban, the group says the attack is revenge for the death of its leader Baitullah Mehsud and the recent killings of the top leaders of al-Qaida in Iraq.
Images of the slain militants are shown as an unidentified voice recites the message. English subtitles are at the bottom of the screen.
According to the AP, an unidentified speaker on the tape also says the attack comes in response to American “interference and terrorism in Muslim Countries, especially in Pakistan.”
The claim could not be immediately confirmed andhe tape makes no specific reference to the attack nor does it mention that it was a car bomb or that it took place in New York City.
Times Square Scare – New York Post
ITN News: Times Square bomb scare: NY Mayor update
Here is a portion of Hot Air’s well-done, lengthy reporting of the NYC bomb scare incident — click the link to read the article in its entirety…
From Hot Air, via New York Times, Attempted car bomb in Times Square? Update: Taliban take credit? Update: Early lead on suspect; Update: Fertilizer non-explosive:
I’m reluctant to raise the alarm before the NYPD’s finished its investigation, but this makes me nervous:
A suspicious vehicle in the heart of Times Square led the police to clear thousands of tourists and theatergoers from the area on a warm and busy Saturday evening…
Police officials said a witness reported a running Nissan Pathfinder with Connecticut plates, with smoke coming out of the back. A bomb squad robot popped the back latch of the Pathfinder, and officers found what they initially believed was a bomb. The vehicle was found to contain explosives, gasoline, propane and burned wires, a Fire Department officer told Reuters.
The officer, who did not give his name because he was not authorized to speak to the news media, said that a man was seen fleeing the S.U.V. and that the police evacuated the area in case there were other threats nearby.
The officer said that the police were treating the vehicle as a “failed device.” The police were searching for a suspect.
What makes me nervous is the use of propane. Remember that London bombing plot three years ago, in which jihadis tried — and failed — to set off a bunch of car bombs around the city? Quote:
The car bombs were similar to highly destructive explosives used in Iraq and could have killed hundreds of people, U.S. and British officials told NBC News. British officials warned that the country was facing a “serious and sustained” terrorist threat…
Authorities believe [the first car] was intended to be set off by remote control by a cell phone found inside. The cell phone had received at least two calls, which should have detonated several gallons of gasoline, but when the calls came in, the bomb failed to go off, the official said.
Had it done so, that blast then would have ignited six to eight tanks of propane in a mist to make a fuel-air explosion, creating a fireball the size of a small house and propelling 18 to 20 boxes of roofing nails around a large area at bullet speed, counterterrorism officials said.
Fuel-air bombs are hugely destructive, as this harrowing Danger Room article published after the London plot broke made all too clear. A fuel-air bomb properly detonated in Times Square on a Saturday night likely would have killed hundreds of people. If that’s what this was — and the feds evidently aren’t sure yet, despite reports of “fireworks” going on in the back seat and someone running away from the vehicle — then there’s a seriously dangerous individual running around NYC right now.
[...]
Update: Coincidence or not? Cops in Pittsburgh say they’ve found a bomb along the route of today’s marathon.
Police say the device was found in a small microwave oven on the sidewalk after the leaders had finished the course Sunday morning. Several blocks were cordoned off near the original finish line for the marathon and half-marathon.
The bomb squad used a robot to disable the device. The all-clear was given for the area shortly before 11 a.m. About 5,000 people took part in the full marathon.
[...]
Update: The best evidence yet that this was the work of a bona fide amateur: They found 100 lbs. of fertilizer in the back, and … it’s non-explosive. What kind of moron bomber would go to the lengths this guy went to without making sure that the stuff he’s got actually goes boom?
More links with updates provided at Sister Toldjah: Paterson: Attempted Times Square bomb attack was an “act of terrorism”
A “person of interest” is being pursued, as described in the news report below.
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[...] Exploded in NY? Instead it, went bust… (still the citizens fled it). For this I thank God, But still I am awed, That some Taliban would take credit. [...]