Update: Car With Explosives Found In NY Times Sq

[Turborama]

Source: Sky News

Damien Pearse, Sky News Online

New York's Times Square has been evacuated after the discovery of a car containing explosives.

A dark-coloured sports car was found to contain explosives, gasoline, propane and burned wires, a New York Fire Department officer told Reuters.

The officer, who did not give his name because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said a man was seen fleeing the car.

Police evacuated several blocks around the popular tourist area in the centre of Manhattan in case there were other devices.

The officer said the car was smoking and there were popping sounds.

The car was said to be a "failed device."

More follows...


Read more: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/New-York-Times-Square-Evacuated-After-Car-Containing-Explosives-Is-Discovered/Article/201005115623779?lpos=World_News_Carousel_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15623779_New_York_Times_Square_Evacuated_After_Car_Contain

---

Car bomb forces Times Square shutdown

Source: Reuters

=snip=

Firefighters on the scene observed a small "flash" from the vehicle and dozens of officers blocked access to the busy central Manhattan square popular with tourists and theatre-goers.

Officers at the scene earlier said the evacuation order stemmed from an "emergency investigation".

A bomb squad responded and a small fire was extinguished.

A New York City firefighter said he arrived early on the scene described the vehicle as a dark-coloured SUV, and said it was parked at the corner of 45th Street and Seventh Avenue.

The firefighter said a "mini-explosion" occurred between 6:00 pm and 6:30 pm local time. "The SUV was smoking. There was a flash and we put two and two together" and an evacuation was ordered, he said.

Read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/05/02/2888024.htm

When this was breaking on Sky News I turned over to their sister channel in New York (Faux) and they were having a round table disinformation session about President Obama. Nothing on their ticker, either.

[sakabatou]

1. Scary

:scared:

[unabelladonna]

2. wow,

thank goodness it didn't explode, saturday evening in the theater district would have been catastophic.

[gateley]

3. MSNBC was getting their info from Reuters -- there's a more in-depth piece

there if you're interested:

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64100G20100502

[stevedeshazer]

20. Thanks for that informative link. n/t

[Warpy]

4. Oh, crap.

Well, we know it wasn't al Qaeda. They'd have hung around to make sure the thing detonated instead of calling attention to themselves by running away from it.

This is going to be a fascinating story to follow, whether it's more right wingers, some lone lunatic, or some religious wannabes.

[SnakeEyes]

17. Just because the person fled

Doesn't mean we can rule out AQ. If the person knew the bomb failed they'd flee.

[alphafemale]

41. "No virgins for YOU!" nt

[meow2u3]

44. I wouldn't be surprised if teabaggers were behind the bomb scare

The MO of the violent extremist wing of the teabaggers is hit, run, and then turn around and not only deny responsibility, but also blame "illegal" (read: brown) immigrants.

[The Croquist]

87. It is our duty to tell them how many people live at an address and

that is all I did. It is none of their business:
If I rent my residence
If I own my residence
If I owe money on my residence
What my phone number is
What the names of the residences are
What their genders are
What their ages are
If they are hispanic
What their races are
Where else they also stay or live


Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3
Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons. The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode-Island and Providence
Plantations one, Connecticut five, New-York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three.

[The Croquist]

88. Boy do I feel stupid I replied to the wrong thread.

[bluestateguy]

5. I wonder what the misunderstanding will be all about.

Not if, but what.

[FailureToCommunicate]

6. Another Toyota recall problem? "The car was said to be a failed device"

[Ken Burch]

15. Well, the car was stationary...so, by , Toyota standards, it was a successful device.

n/t.

[FailureToCommunicate]

70. !

[meow2u3]

46. It was a Nissan Pathfinder with the VIN removed

Toyota is innocent--this time!

Little do they know, the transmission on every vehicle sold in the United States also has a VIN.

[greiner3]

57. As I found out, actually, there are 3 VINs.

[chollybocker]

7. A suicide?

To be dramatic in death.

[Ken Burch]

16. The guy didn't stay in the car, though.

I'm thinking...maybe somebody whose house got foreclosed and "lost it"...

[Democat]

25. For it to be suicide, the person couldn't have run away!

At least one person would be dead if it was a suicide, I think. :evilgrin:

[TalkingDog]

8. Times Square WebCam

http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/timessquare/?cam=lennon_hd

[karynnj]

10. That is so weird - Time Square with no people

It is so fortunate that this bomb failed. That corner is always filled with people.

[onehandle]

9. The McVeighs are starting? nt

[MrScorpio]

37. +1 n/t

[Duer 157099]

11. I think the Gulf Coast sealife got together and sent this

as a thank you to the humans

[Arctic Dave]

12. Is BP trying to get off the front page?

If the RW can blame the spill on enviromentalist, we can blame this on BP. Just sayin.

[Mopar151]

35. Unlikely

Anyone who uses explosives in oilfield work could rig something FAR more effective than this.

[Arctic Dave]

69. True, but driving around with a "perf gun" would seem out of place.

:)

[Chemical Bill]

40. The junkie pedophile ...

probably had his housekeeper do it.

Bill

[Ken Burch]

13. Scary...but I don't think it was AQ...

Car bombs weren't there mo. And this doesn't sound like the sort of explosives they used, IIRC.

Please let the media be restrained on this...and please make sure somebody puts Steven Emerson IN restraints...he's definitely gonna want to go to town on this one.

[cowman]

61. Car bombs weren't their MO?

What about Iraq? that and IED's.

[Ken Burch]

83. OK...they weren't there MO here.

Also, I guess I figured that if it was AQ, the guy would've shot it out with the cops in the hopes that they'd waste him.

I don't really know.

[Democat]

14. Wow, wonder who did it? Teabaggers or someone else?

These days, when you think of terrorism and anti-government, there are at least two suspects that come to mind.

[paulsby]

28. it happened on may day for pete' sake

and i am not seeing anybody make a relevant speculation there

[cowman]

65. Funeral for

Nye County Sheriff's Deputy Ian Deutch yesterday was awesome. More than 2,000 people showed up to pay their respects. Several LEO's from the western states were there, don't know if your agency sent anyone but it was something else. Hope I never have to attend another one again.

[KurtNYC]

52. it was in front of "The Lion King"

so maybe we add racist to that mix.

[cowman]

62. Amazing just amazing

At the station house I work at there are several Tea Party members who would never ever do somethin like this. Maybe, just maybe May Day had something to do with or maybe AQ or Hamas or some other terrorist group, but the Tea Party would never do something like this. I don't agree with the Tea Party in general but to blame them is just plain asinine

[Democat]

66. Tell that to Timothy McVeigh!

Wait, you can't because he was put to death for killing lots of people because of his hatred of the US Government. Many teabaggers are probably fine people, but some of them hate the government almost as much as they hate black people. If you think that those people wouldn't try to kill people, then take a look at the history of the KKK.

[cowman]

67. Every group

has their fringe maniacs but to blame the whole movement for the POSSIBLE actions of a few is stupid. That's like saying the Dem. Party is racist because Robert Byrd was at one time a member of the KKK.
The Tea Party people I work with put their lives on the line for me, a Dem, every time we go out on a fire or other hazardous situations just like I do. These guys and gals are some of the best people I know and have a deep respect for life and would never do something like this and I don't believe that the Tea Party would ever condone this act of attempted terrorism

[skyounkin]

18. Heh...they have the car- so the guy who ran is going to get caught

if he is still alive for his failure.

::fingers crossed that this is a beginning and end::

[Pab Sungenis]

42. Not if the car

was stolen, or reported stolen, before the event.

If I were to do something stupid like this I would hide the vehicle somewhere safe, report it stolen a week before the planned event. Then bring it out right before time. Instant pseudo-alibi for the ties between one and the vehicle.

Imagine. If McVeigh had stolen a van instead of renting it, we might never have caught him. That is terrifying.

[Keefer]

45. The VIN was removed...

and the plates didn't belong on the vehicle. Hard to find the owner...

[Codeine]

50. You can't remove the VIN on a modern car.

That shit is stamped everywhere. It's not just a matter of popping that plate off the dash.

[Keefer]

51. I'm not an expert, I just posted what I found here:

"...Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Kelly said the Connecticut plates on the Pathfinder do not belong to the Pathfinder, and that the person who last legally had the Connecticut plates said that they had shipped the plates off with a truck that had been sent to a junkyard. Officials also say that the VIN number had been removed from the Pathfinder. Mayor Bloomberg said the NYPD held over its entire second shift city wide to conduct a sweep of the city for any similar devices.

..."

http://www.wnyc.org/news/articles/154313

[Codeine]

53. The VIN plate was popped,

but there are so many VINs on cars now there is simply no way this guy got 'em all.

[-..__...]

55. That's what led to the 1993 WTC bombers arrest...

"In the days after the bombing, investigators surveyed the damage and looked for clues. While combing through the rubble in the underground parking area, a bomb technician located some internal component fragments from the vehicle that delivered the bomb. A vehicle identification number (VIN), found on a piece from an axle, gave investigators crucial information that led them to a Ryder truck rental outlet in Jersey City. Investigators determined that the vehicle had been rented by Mohammad Salameh, one of Yousef's co-conspirators.<19> Salameh had reported the van stolen, and when he returned on March 4, 1993, to get his deposit back, authorities arrested him.<20>"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_World_Trade_Center_bombing#Investigation

[Keefer]

56. Fingerprints found:

"WASHINGTON (AP) — Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says authorities are recovering evidence from the car bomb discovered at New York's Time Square.

She tells NBC'S "Meet the Press" that officials are treating the incident as a potential terrorist attack. She says it's too soon to tell who's responsible.

Napolitano says that while investigators have no suspects, they have recovered forensic evidence, including fingerprints from the vehicle.

She also says there are a number of surveillance cameras in the area and they could yield valuable videotape."

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/sns-ap-us-times-square-car-bomb-napolitano,0,7877452.story

[LiberalFighter]

68. There we go. Obama's administration failing to do their job.

Bet Bush/Cheney, McCain/Palin, McConnell/Boehner, Limbaugh/Beck are all upset that Napolitano is doing her job.

I'm sure the FBI and other resources will find the person responsible. A lot better than Bush/Cheney in finding bin Laden.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

75. it was prevented from happening

[OnlinePoker]

77. Actually it wasn't

From what I read, there was a flash inside the car which was the initiator going off, but the remainder of the weapon didn't activate. Had it been built correctly, there would have been a lot of dead people in Times Square. This was only "prevented" by the incompetence of the bomb builder.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

89. It was a ghood job it was spotted by the teeshirt man

I thought they just saw smoke from the vents when they reported it?

[slackmaster]

79. That's a fact. I work on my own Pathfinder and have found about six copies of the VIN.

You'd have to take a vehicle completely apart to eradicate the VIN.

Whoever did this job was either a complete rube, or took great pains to make it look like it was done by a complete rube.

[LiberalFighter]

82. Number of rubes in the USA: 30,700,655

Number of rubes that are Republicans: 20,876,445 (68%)
Number of rubes that are Teabaggers 3,760,830 (12.25%)
Number of rubes that are crazy type militias and religious Koresh type 2,287,198 (7.45%)
Number of rubes that are extremely dangerous 1,335,478 (4.35%)
Number of rubes that are harmless 2,440,702 (7.95%)

[sakabatou]

19. So now the question becomes, "Who did this and why?"

[Earth Bound Misfit]

21. Is it me, or was Bloomberg more than a little bit Snarky

in his brief press conference? A bit cranky, perhaps?

Mr 3 term mayor needs a timeout, methinks.

[leftynyc]

23. It's his way of keeping everyone calm

If he looks like he's panicing, it would look bad. The press is looking for him to assign motive with no information and he refused to go there.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

31. Thanks lefty. A little less venom would accomplish the same thing

No? To me, he projected little by way of calmness nor panic, mainly annoyance. I don't get how New Yawkers elected this guy for a third term given this quality. I'm a born a raised Brooklyn-ite (37 yrs) so I'm not dissin' New Yawkers--I am one.

edit for clarity

[mainer]

39. Leave it to New Yorkers to be annoyed, not panicked

so maybe Hiz Honor was just reflecting the appropriate local mood

[Earth Bound Misfit]

86. Never mind.

[NYC Liberal]

22. Damn, this must have happened probably no more than 10 minutes after I got on the subway

I got home and saw it on NY1. Scary.

[leftynyc]

24. Looking at pictures

of Times Square on a Saturday night with no people is downright creepy.

[myrna minx]

26. It *is* really creepy. n.t

[NYC Liberal]

29. It was insanely packed around 8:00.

Must have cleared out pretty quickly.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

33. Not as creepy as this one...

Looks like a scene out of a bad disaster movie: The tuxedo-ed Bon-Vivant Mayor, pulled from his dinner engagement with various captains of industry and other A-list socialites, "leading" his frightened constituency...

Surreal...

[lib2DaBone]

27. MSNBC saying they found ordinary fireworks and gasoline.....

Oh crap... does this mean the TSA will be at every gas station now?

Now we'll have to check our shoes and underwear before we fill up....

[Earth Bound Misfit]

32. ***Snort***

Your comment, while certainly funny, unfortunately might not be that far fetched.

[NecklyTyler]

30. The TBaggers are just too stupid to know how to make a bomb

Tim McVeigh must be rolling over in his grave thinking about what the TBaggers have done to his movement

[Mopar151]

34. Seriously illliterate........

http://www.amazon.com/Ragnars-Guide-Home-Recreational-Explosives/dp/0873644786
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar_Benson

This took me about 30 sec. to find. Either I'm a genius (not f'n likely!), or bombing Times Square is an act only a moron would commit.

[NecklyTyler]

71. I prefer Kurt Saxon

[Turborama]

36. NY Governor: Times Square car bomb was "act of terrorism" (Telegraph speculates on motive)

American officials declared that the failed car bomb that forced the evacuation of New York's Times Square was an "act of terrorism."

by Nick Allen

"Luckily, no one is hurt, and now the full attention of city, state and federal law enforcement will be turned to bringing the guilty party to justice in this act of terrorism," New York Governor David Paterson said.

=snip=

The dark green Nissan Pathfinder with tinted windows was parked near the junction of 45th Street and Broadway.

The location is also http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=viacom+times+square&hl=en&ie=UTF8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&hq=Viacom+Inc&hnear=Viacom+Inc&ll=40.757922,-73.986389&spn=0.00153,0.002411&t=h&z=19">adjacent to the Viacom building, fuelling speculation that it might be linked to the company's controversial South Park cartoon which recently depicted Prophet Muhammad in a bear suit.

It was abandoned with its engine running and hazard lights flashing. A T-shirt vendor, who was a Vietnam veteran, alerted police when he noticed smoke coming out of it.

More details: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/7667581/Times-Square-car-bomb-was-act-of-terrorism.html

[Robb]

48. That's pretty thin, IMO

...the location is adjacent to quite a bit.

[ikri]

38. Sounds very reminiscent of another failed bombing

Police avert car bomb 'carnage'

A car bomb planted in central London would have caused "carnage" if it had exploded, police say.

A controlled explosion was carried out on the car, packed with 60 litres of petrol, gas cylinders and nails, in Haymarket, near Piccadilly Circus.

An ambulance crew saw smoke coming from the green Mercedes, near the Tiger Tiger nightclub at 0130 BST (0030 GMT).

London's Park Lane was later cordoned off while a suspicious vehicle was investigated.

[MrsBrady]

43. Update? Who owns the car. Have they run the vin number yet? nt

[Keefer]

49. See post #45. n/t

[Christa]

47. I think Halliburton has a finger in this pie

Oil spill? What oil spill? What environmental disaster?

Terra alert!

[Yavin4]

54. I Think That This Was Done By Some Lone Crazed Person, Not Terrorism

If it was an act of terror, that bomb would have gone off. This was probably a deranged person looking to make a headline for himself.

[customerserviceguy]

80. The underpants bomber

had a fizzle, too, and clearly he was supported by a terrorist organization.

The tea party is nowhere near this, if one of their supporters had anything to do with a bombing, it would be of some sort of government building, and not a bunch of people in NYC. My money's on our jihadist 'friends'.

[The Croquist]

85. You can work alone and still be a terrorist

This was obviously an act of terror. It doesn't matter if he acted alone and it doesn't matter if he isn't sane. The idea was to kill people and scare many more.

[Joanne98]

58. Teahadist.

[Taverner]

74. That's my prediction

And if its Al Queda, well those guys are just the Islamic Version of the teahadists...

[Democat]

81. Both the Tea Party and Bin Laden hate the US Government

They are both on the same side lately it seems.

[WinkyDink]

59. Did they check who called in sick to FOX News?

[Name removed]

60. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Codeine]

63. Four posts?

Mods caught your ass in a hurry, didnt they?

[fascisthunter]

64. what the fuck are you talking about?

[smoogatz]

72. AQ wannabe, probably.

Trying to get revenge on Viacom. Either that or some lone nutter who just wanted to hurt people. If it was a McVeigh or Rudolph type, they'd have parked it outside a federal building or a gay club or an abortion clinic.

[smoogatz]

73. Dupe.

[peace13]

76. No word from the evil Shooter Mc Cheney lately.

Bet this fail has ruined Shooter's afternoon. He can't watch his beloved FOX unless there is blood and carnage on the scene.

What is wrong with me. I see his fingers in the botched Halliburton repairs in the gulf and now this. Why can't he be in jail where he deserves to be so I don't have to think about him anymore?!

[humbled_opinion]

78. Won't matter even if it was Teabaggers

They have firmly sold the corporate MSM on the black flag counter ops, so it can only be 1 of 2 the lunatics on the left /s, or AQ.

[Arrowhead2k1]

84. Pakistan Taliban claiming responsibility.

Source: Reuters
DUBAI, May 2 (Reuters) - The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attempted car bomb attack in New York's Times square, a statement on an Islamist website said on Sunday.

The statement said it was to avenge the killing of two Islamists and "Muslim martyrs".

"The Pakistani Taliban announced its responsibility for the New York attack in revenge for the two leaders al-Baghdadi and al-Mahajer and Muslim martyrs," said a statement on a website commonly used by Islamists.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE6410H5.htm