Bartamaha (New York):-Thousands of tourists moved and streets closed after T-shirt vendor spots ‘amateurish’ device in smoking car.
New York police have defused a bomb in Times Square, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the US.
Officers found an “amateurish” but potentially powerful bomb in a smoking vehicle at around 6.30pm (10.30pm GMT) last night.
Thousands of tourists were evacuated from the square and the surrounding streets as officers moved in to dismantle the device.
“We are very lucky. Thanks to alert New Yorkers and professional police officers, we avoided what could have been a very deadly event,” the city’s mayor, Michael Bloomberg, said. “It certainly could have exploded and had a pretty big fire and a decent amount of explosive impact.”
Police removed three propane tanks, consumer-grade fireworks, two full 19-litre petrol containers, and two clocks with batteries, electrical wire and other components, police commissioner Raymond Kelly said this morning.
Bloomberg called the explosive device “amateurish”, while Kelly said the consumer-grade fireworks could have caused huge damage on a block of Broadway theatres and restaurants packed with tourists. “I think the intent was to cause a significant ball of fire,” Kelly added.
Police are reviewing surveillance footage and seeking futher video from office buildings that were not open at the time. Kelly said officers had traced footage showing the car driving west on 45th Street before it parked between 7th and 8th Avenues. There are no immediate suspects or motive.
A white robotic police arm broke windows of the dark green Nissan Pathfinder to remove any explosive materials after a T-shirt vendor alerted a mounted police officer to the vehicle, who noticed that the vehicle had smoke coming from vents near the back seat and smelled of gun powder.
The car, which also had its hazard lights flashing, was parked on 45th Street, approximately four miles north of the site of the World Trade Centre.
Bloomberg said the vehicle’s Connecticut license plate was not registered to the Nissan, and its owner had sent the plate to be scrapped. The car’s vehicle identification number had been removed, the mayor added.
Heavily armed police and emergency vehicles shut down the streets yesterday evening, which had been teeming with taxis and theatergoers enjoying one of the first warm days of the year. The south tower of the Marriott hotel was evacuated and several blocks surrounding Times Square remained closed into the night. Officers were deployed around the area with heavy weapons on empty streets in the heart of busy midtown Manhattan.
The block that was closed is in the heart of Broadway territory, with seven theatres housing some of the city’s biggest shows, such as Billy Elliot and Lend Me a Tenor.
Shelly Carlisle, of Portland, Oregon, said police crowded into her Broadway theater after the curtain closed on Next to Normal, a show on the same block where the vehicle was found.
“At the end of the show, the police came in. We were told we had to leave,” Carlisle said. “They said there was a bomb scare.”
Katy Neubauer, 46, and Becca Saunders, 39, of Milwaukee, were shopping for souvenirs two blocks south of the car when they saw panicked crowds. “It was a mass of people running away from the scene,” Neubauer said. Saunders added: “There were too many people, too many cops. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Bloomberg left early from the White House correspondents’ dinner to be at the scene last night. “We have no idea who did this or why,” the mayor said this morning, but added that the city is always a top terrorism target.
President Barack Obama, who also attended the dinner in Washington, praised the quick response by the New York police department, White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said.
Obama has directed his homeland security and counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, to advise New York officials that the federal government is prepared to provide support.
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Source:-guardian.
