FBI Probes Explosion at NYC Army Recruiting Centre

[cameron_highlander]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080306/NY_police_080306/20080306?hub=TopStories

Interesting.

FBI probes Times Square explosion in NYC
Updated Thu. Mar. 6 2008 8:34 AM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Police have shut down a part of New York's Times Square after a small explosion at a U.S. military recruiting centre early this morning.
U.S. Homeland security officials have said that the FBI has been called in to investigate the incident. They also said there is no imminent terrorism threat to New Yorkers and have not linked the blast to terrorism.
The explosion, which caused no injuries, appears to have been from an improvised-explosive device.

"(It appears) to be a homemade bomb, made out of an ammo can that was filled with some kind of explosive powder," ABC's Rich Esposito told Canada AM Thursday morning. "Like a pipe bomb."
The explosion shattered the glass entryway of the recruiting centre and hotel guests four blocks away said they could feel the force of the 3:45 a.m. blast.

"We're staying on the top floor and I could feel it," hotel guest Darla Peck told The Associated Press.
Police had blocked traffic in the busy hub between 42nd Street and 44th Street but have since reopened the area for rush hour.
Army officials said no one was inside the centre, where other branches of the U.S. military also recruit.

The centre, which sits on a traffic island surrounded by Time Square's flashier fare, has been the site of anti-war demonstrations but not violence before.
"If it is something that's directed toward American troops than it's something that's taken very seriously and is pretty unfortunate," Army Capt. Charlie Jaquillard, commander of Army recruiting in Manhattan, told The Associated Press.

There have been two other small explosions in New York City in the last few years, but police have not linked Thursday's explosion to either at this time.
In October, two small explosive devices were thrown over a fence at the Mexican consulate, shattering three windows. And in May 2005, there was a similar incident at the British consulate. No one was hurt in either incident.

Shortly after the blast the price of crude oil rose, hitting more than US$105.96 per barrel amidst apparent terrorism jitters.
But oil prices were on their way up, even before news of the explosion hit traders.

Overnight, oil prices hit a then-record of US $105.10, based on the weakening American dollar and traders flocking to oil markets after a drop of U.S. crude inventories and OPEC's decision not to increase production.


With files from The Associated Press

 

[ChiquitaSarah]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080306/NY_police_080306/20080306?hub=TopStories

Interesting.

I'd call it horrifying.  Thank goodness no one was hurt.

 

[CougarKing]

Sorry mods. I didn't realize there was already a thread on this- please merge with the other thread.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080306/ap_on_re_us/times_square_shutdown&printer=1

Police investigate Times Square blast
By DEREK ROSE, Associated Press Writer
35 minutes ago

A small bomb caused minor damage to an empty military recruiting station in Times Square early Thursday, shaking guests in hotel rooms high above "the crossroads of the world."

The blast, which happened around 3:45 a.m., left a gaping hole in the front window and shattered a glass door, twisting and blackening its metal frame. No one was hurt. But Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the device, though unsophisticated, could have caused "injury and even death."

A witness saw a person on a bicycle wearing a backpack and a hood and acting suspiciously, but no one saw the device being placed in front of the recruiting center, authorities said at a news conference.

"If it is something that's directed toward American troops then it's something that's taken very seriously and is pretty unfortunate," said Army Capt. Charlie Jaquillard, who is the commander of Army recruiting in Manhattan.

He said no one was inside the station, where the Marines, Air Force and Navy also recruit.

Witnesses staying at a Marriott hotel four blocks away said they could feel the building shake with the blast.

"It shook the building. I thought it could have been thunder, but I looked down and there was a massive plume of smoke so I knew it was an explosion," said Terry Leighton, 48, of London, who was staying on the 21st floor of the Marriott.

David Hassan, who operates a breakfast cart across the street, said he was in the area when the explosion happened.

"I saw smoke and there was a loud boom," he said. "I was scared. I'm still shaky."

The military's 1,600 recruiting stations nationwide were alerted and advised to use extra caution, said Douglas Smith, spokesman for the Army recruiting command.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said no official higher state of alert had been issued. "We do get occasional vandals at our recruiting stations," Whitman said. "It's unfortunate but it happens from time to time."

New York recruiters will work out of their Union Square office for now, he said.

Members of the police department's bomb squad and fire officials gathered outside the station in the early morning darkness, and police cars and yellow tape blocked drivers — most of them behind the wheels of taxicabs — from entering one of the world's busiest crossroads. Police began allowing some traffic through around the start of rush hour.

Authorities were still trying to determine exactly what kind of device was used. When investigators went through the evidence, they found a metal ammunition box that is believed to have contained the explosive. It was being sent for testing. Kelly said the box was readily available in Army-Navy surplus stores.

"Whoever the coward was that committed this disgraceful act on our city will be found and prosecuted to the full extent of the law," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

The recruiting station, located on a traffic island surrounded by Broadway theaters and chain restaurants, has occasionally been the site of anti-war demonstrations, ranging from silent vigils to loud rallies.

In October 2005, a group of activists who call themselves the Granny Peace Brigade rallied there against the Iraq war. Eighteen activists, most of them grandmothers with several in their 80s and 90s, were later acquitted of disorderly conduct.

The recruiting station was renovated in 1999 to better fit into the flashy ambiance of Times Square, using neon tubing to give the glass and steel office a patriotic American flag motif. For a half century, the station was the armed forces' busiest recruiting center. It has set national records for enlistment, averaging about 10,000 volunteers a year.

Police said it was too early to say if the blast may have been related to two other minor explosions in the city.

In October, two small explosive devices were tossed over a fence at the Mexican consulate, shattering three windows but causing no injuries. No threats had been made against the consulate, and no one took responsibility for the explosion, police said.

At the time, police said they were investigating whether it was connected to a similar incident at the British consulate on May 5, 2005.

In that incident, the explosions took place in the early morning hours, when Britons were going to the polls in an election that returned Prime Minister Tony Blair to power.

In both cases, the instruments were fake grenades sometimes sold as novelty items. They were packed with black powder and detonated with fuses, but incapable of causing serious harm, police said.

 

[LineDoggie]

CCTV of the Attack:

http://en.sevenload.com/videos/Z6qjVXw/tsquare

 

[Yrys]

On BBC : Small bomb hits NY's Times Square

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. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the bombing did not appear to be an act of terrorism but
the investigation was in its early stages.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the attack on the recruiting office was an insult to US forces personnel. "The fact that this appears deliberately targeted
at the recruiting station insults every one of our brave men and women in uniform stationed around the world," Mr Bloomberg said at a news conference. He said
New Yorkers would not be intimidated. "New York City is back and is open for business... People are going about their business, shopping, working and sightseeing."

'Not sophisticated'

New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said a witness saw a person on a bicycle wearing a backpack and acting suspiciously shortly before the blast. Mr Kelly
said the bomb was in a military ammunition case and was "not particularly sophisticated".

Map on link

After the explosion in the early hours of Thursday, police cars blocked nearby streets as the bomb squad gathered evidence. The centre is on a traffic island
in the middle of the square and is surrounded by streets, theatres and restaurants. The recruiting station is one of the busiest in the US and has occasionally
been the site of anti-war protests. 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.

 

[Yrys]

Times Square bombing caught on tape

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Security camera footage shows a person approach a Times Square military recruiting office and ride away on a bicycle shortly
before a bomb damaged the building Thursday morning. Security video shows a bicyclist approach a Times Square recruiting station moments before a bomb went off.

Authorities consider the bicyclist a possible suspect in the bombing, which occurred about 3:45 a.m. and caused no injuries. The video, shown by Police Commissioner
Ray Kelly, shows the person approach the station on the bicycle, get off and walk up a metal ramp to the door.After about a minute, the person returns to the bike and
rides away. Less than two minutes later, a bright flash and a cloud of white smoke signal the explosion.

A witness at the scene saw the person on the bicycle, but couldn't tell the sex or race because the individual was wearing a hooded jacket that "covered most of the
face," Kelly said. However, police suspect the cyclist was male because the witness described the person as being large.

A 10-speed bike in good condition was later found in a trash bin not far from the scene. Police said they were trying to determine if it was the bicycle seen in the video.
Video Watch surveillance video of the bicyclist at the bomb site »

The bomb consisted of some kind of "low-order explosive" contained in a military-style ammunition box, Kelly said.

Video Watch Kelly describe the bomb »

"This was not a particularly sophisticated device," he said. No one has taken responsibility for the attack, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

Don't Miss


    * WABC: NYPD releases footage of Times Square blast

"Whoever the coward was that committed this disgraceful act on our city will be found and prosecuted to the full extent of the law," Bloomberg said. The recruiting
office, one of the nation's busiest, has been the site of periodic anti-war protests, The Associated Press reported. "If it is something that's directed toward American
troops, then it's something that's taken very seriously and is pretty unfortunate," Army Capt. Charlie Jaquillard, commander of Army recruiting in Manhattan, told AP.

"The fact that this appears deliberately directed at the recruiting station insults every one of our brave men and women in uniform stationed around the world fighting
to defend our freedoms and the things we hold so dear," Bloomberg said.

After the incident, the Army sent an alert to the 1,650 Army recruiting stations across the country, said Douglas Smith of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command. The blast
is similar to two other incidents in New York, one in October and one in May 2005. Both times, an explosive device was detonated around 3 a.m.

In the October incident, a bomb was detonated near the Mexican Consulate, shattering windows. At that time, authorities said the explosive device was similar to the
ones used in a May 2005 blast at the British Consulate. In both cases, authorities were looking for a person spotted riding a bicycle in the area. Police stopped several
bicyclists for questioning Thursday morning near Times Square, but no one was detained, WABC-TV reported.

The recruiting office, whose neon lights help it blend in with the bright atmosphere of Times Square, sits on a triangular traffic island across the street from the Hard Rock Cafe. Map »

Two witnesses, a man and a woman, told a local TV station they heard a "huge bang" from their hotel rooms, but there were no police or fire reports of serious damage
or injuries. "I was on the 44th floor, and I heard it. I could feel it from up there," a woman told WABC-TV. Video Watch what witnesses say »

The office's front door and window were shattered by the explosion, and the door's metal frame was bent. A large television screen above the door was working intermittently.

Investigators from the New York police and fire departments as well as the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sifted through the shattered
glass by hand, placing small pieces of material into evidence bags. The evidence was sent to the FBI's crime laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, Kelly said.

Police and fire squads initially cordoned off part of an area around Times Square. Later, vehicular and foot traffic resumed in the area, but the traffic island was closed
to pedestrians. Subway service to Times Square was briefly halted but resumed in time for the morning rush hour.

Recruiters will work from an office in Union Square until repairs are made, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told AP.

"New York City is back and open for business," the mayor said. To prove his point, Bloomberg walked across the busy street after the news conference and bought a cup of coffee at a cafe.

 

[midget-boyd91]

Security camera footage shows a person approach a Times Square military recruiting office and ride away on a bicycle shortly
before a bomb damaged the building Thursday morning.

It's a good thing nobody was injured, or worse in this attack, but if nobody else is going to say it, I will.
Anti-military... bicycle.... 2 + 2... Jack Layton maybe?  ???
Sorry, I couldn't keep it in all day.

Midget

 

[Yrys]

Armed Guard and No Door, but Recruiters Carry On

The scene of the crime on Friday morning had no yellow “crime scene” tape blocking off the sidewalk, and no locks on the door. The door had been so badly
shattered that it had to be removed. A day after a small explosion shook the military recruiting station in Times Square, the station commander, Sgt. James V. Latella,
32, offered his assessment: The station has “absolutely gone back to normal, sir.”

Not quite.

Outside the recruiting station, which is an 18-wheeler-size box of gunmetal gray, two New York City police officers walked in small circles. Several others patrolled
surrounding streets.

...
The station reopened shortly after 5 p.m. on Thursday. On any given day, said Sergeant Latella — a 12-year veteran from Irwin, Pa. — the number of people who
walk in depends on the weather. He said it could be about two dozen on a good day.

Of the six recruiting stations in Manhattan, the Times Square station — just below where the ball drops on New Year’s Eve — is the most successful, averaging 20
or more recruits a year for the Army alone, said Capt. Charles Jaquillard, 31, a 10-year Army veteran from Toledo, Ohio, who supervises the six stations. The station
also accepts volunteers for the Navy, the Marines and the Air Force, but Captain Jaquillard was not familiar with those numbers.

The authorities called Captain Jaquillard at his home shortly after 5 a.m. Thursday to tell him about the bomb. “I was still groggy,” he recalled. “I got up and turned on
the television and found out that it was in fact a valid statement.” He telephoned his girlfriend to tell her that no one had been injured and that there was no cause for
concern. By 6 a.m., Captain Jaquillard was at the station, watching as investigators combed the scene for evidence. “For whatever reason this was done,” he said, “there
are other ways to get a point across. Whatever that point was, whether it was to stop our recruiting operations or something else, obviously it was a fruitless effort.”
...