A bomb in Times Square could’ve been very nasty indeed, whether rabid teapartiers, Islamic or Xtian fundies were responsible:
NEW YORK —
Police found an “amateurish” but potentially powerful bomb in a smoking sport utility vehicle in Times Square, then cleared the streets of thousands of tourists milling through the landmark district so they could dismantle it, authorities said Sunday.
“We avoided what we could have been a very deadly event,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. “It certainly could have exploded and had a pretty big fire and a decent amount of explosive impact.”
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.
Bloomberg called the explosive device “amateurish” but potentially deadly, noting: “We are very lucky.”
A white robotic police arm broke windows of the black Nissan Pathfinder to remove any explosive materials after a T-shirt vendor alerted police to the smoking vehicle at about 6:30 p.m. Heavily armed police and emergency vehicles shut down the city’s busiest streets, teeming with taxis and theatergoers on one of the first summer-like days of the year.
A Connecticut license plate on the vehicle did not match up, according to authorities, who did not know a motive. Police interviewed the Connecticut car owner, who told police he had sent the plates to a nearby junkyard, Bloomberg said. Police are reviewing surveillance video and looking for more.
After the vendor noticed smoke coming from the SUV, police cleared buildings and streets at the so-called “Crossroads of the World”; the area remained closed hours later. Officers were deployed around the area with heavy weapons on empty streets in the heart of busy midtown Manhattan. More…
Given the reported amateurism of the bomb’s manufacture, my money’s on the wingnuts.
