TERROR IN TIMES SQUARE: EVACUATION DUE TO CAR BOMB, FAILS TO DETONATE
"We were very lucky," said Mayor Bloomberg, "We avoided what could have been a very deadly event."
Finally get out and about -- Saturday night in NY -- and I have to bolt home to report this story. Can we count on Muslim bombs failing? And catching every jihadi before he gets one of his balls bombs off? Is that our strategy now?
Here's a shot of New York's Times Square, empty of tourists, after police and fire personnel close off parts of the area. this part of town on a Saturday night is teeming with humanity. There was an unconfirmed report that someone was seen running from the car, Browne said.
The SUV is parked very close to a production of "The LionKing" on 45th Street. Women in evening gowns were among the crowd on one of the warmest nights of the year and the busiest night of the week for Broadway theaters in the area.
Has Obama apologized for the theater district yet, or has he written another big fat check to jihad?
A New York City firefighter who said he arrived early on the scene described the vehicle as a dark-colored SUV, and said it was parked at the corner of 45th Street and Seventh Avenue.
He confirmed the vehicle was smoking and also said he saw "a flash" from the back of the SUV. The firefighter said a "mini-explosion" occurred between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. (here)
Times Square evacuation was for failed explosive device The Post
NEW YORK -- The dark-colored sports utility vehicle which triggered the evacuation of Times Square Saturday night 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 and police had protectively evacuated several blocks around the popular tourist area in the center of Manhattan in case there were other devices.
The officer said law enforcement at the scene of the sports utility vehicle - which was smoking and from which popping sounds were heard earlier - were treating the vehicle as a "failed device."
UPDATE: ABC News reporting now: Cops Find Suspected Car Bomb in Times Square
Police found a car bomb in a parked sport utility vehicle Saturday evening in New York City's Times Square, then evacuated buildings and cleared streets of thousands of tourists in the landmark known as the "Crossroads of the World."
UPDATE: They must have gotten the O-memo.
A federal official said it was not considered it a terrorist threat and that the New York Police Department had told theDepartment of Homeland Security to stand down. The official would not say why he believed that or what the New York Police Department told them about the episode. (NY Times)
No, granny at the tea party is the terrorist threat, right, B. Hussein?
UPDATE: Pamela H was on scene -- camera in tow:
Either the terrorists were running a drill, or the cops were...It sure seemed like it could have been a 'drill'...and if the terrorists ran such a practice run, I guess they got to watch how Times Square is going to manage the situation (on May Day). And we all know how the terrorists love the symbolism of certain dates...
I watched it start from the upper level of McD's so it all seemed a bit casual, but then a woman came in, frazzled, and said people were running up town saying the pop, pops they just heard was a gun....then there was talk of a bomb... (For slide show of more pics click though to blog)http://wp.me/paE4E-232
In a few pictures you can see the bottles of water left behind and some chairs people knocked over as they got out of dodge. As far as the cops, it still took a few minutes before they started clearing Duffy Square. It was a fire...it was a bomb...still have no idea.
More snaps, video and coverage over at Vigilant Squirrel Brigade
UPDATE: Investigators removed three propane tanks, consumer-grade fireworks, two filled 5-gallon gasoline containers, and two clocks with batteries, electrical wire and other components, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said at a news conference early Sunday. A black metal box resembling a gun locker was also recovered.
"I think the intent was to cause a significant ball of fire," Kelly said.
UPDATE: STREETS STILL CLOSED FROM 44TH TO 46TH, 6TH AVENUE TO 8TH AVENUE
Bomb being dismantled and will be detonated in a secure location out of the city.
Posts
