Thaindian News

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) — Authorities on Sunday are continuing to investigate a failed car bombing at New York City’s Times Square on Saturday evening. Governor Paterson called it an ‘act of terrorism.’

The incident started at 6.34 p.m. EDT on Saturday when a t-shirt vendor alerted a mounted police officer to a suspicious dark green Nissan Pathfinder that had been parked at 45th Street near Broadway with its lights flashing. The officer noticed smoke coming from objects in the backseat of the car and smelled gunpowder. He then called in additional resources, including the fire department.

The area remains closed more than nine hours after the incident began, and the city’s bomb squad is still working to render some parts of the device safe. Among the evacuated buildings was the south tower of the Marriott Hotel.

It is unclear who was driving the SUV, which had a license plate that did not match the vehicle, and no arrests were made as of early Sunday. Officials said the vehicle was seen driving west on 45th Street at 6.28 p.m. EDT in security camera footage. Additional footage from security cameras is being sought.

New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the car contained three propane tanks, consumer-grade fireworks, two filled 5-gallon gasoline containers, and two clocks with batteries, electrical wire and other components. A black metal box resembling a gun locker was also recovered.

“We avoided what could have been a very deadly event,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg at a press conference near the scene of the incident. He described the bomb as being ‘amateurish.’

New York Governor David Paterson referred to the failed car bombing as an ‘act of terrorism’ in a statement released by his office. “Tonight, we owe an incredible debt of gratitude to the heroic actions of the New York City Police Department and to a single vigilant New Yorker who identified a suspicious vehicle near Times Square in New York City,” Paterson said. “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.”

A spokesman for Homeland Security refused to comment on the incident and referred all inquiries to the New York City Police Department. He did not say if terrorism was suspected.

Richard Kolko, a spokesman for the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), said its Joint Terrorism Task Force has responded to the scene. “The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force has responded to Times Square with the NYPD to investigate the vehicle and determine what may be in the car,” Kolko said before authorities confirmed it was in fact a car bomb.

Asked if terrorism is being suspected, Kolko said it was not yet known. “That will be an important element of the investigation, but we don’t know yet.”

President Barack Obama was attending the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, D.C. during the incident. He twice left his table for several minutes after a man walked up to him and whispered into his ear. It was not immediately clear if he was being updated about the incident.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs later said the federal government is prepared to provide support to the New York Police Department. “At about 1045 PM, the President was updated on the excellent work by the NYPD in relation to the incident in Times Square,” Gibbs said. “The President commended the quick action by the NYPD and asked John Brennan to communicate to NYPD that the federal government is prepared to provide support.”

John Brennan, Obama’s homeland security and counterterrorism adviser, is working with the New York Police Department and other agencies, and will continue to update Obama on the investigation.

Times Square is about four miles north of where terrorists bombed the World Trade Center in 1993, and later destroyed the two towers when they flew two hijacked airliners into the buildings on September 11, 2001.