Bombing in Times Square

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NEW YORK (CNN) -- Authorities are searching for a man on a bicycle as a possible suspect in the Thursday bombing at a military recruiting station in Times Square, investigators said.

The blast, around 3:45 a.m., caused no injuries, officials said.

A witness and an officer at a police substation just steps away from the recruiting office saw a man riding a bicycle, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said at a news conference.

They did not see the man's face, but he was wearing a backpack, he said.

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

"This was not a particularly sophisticated device," he said.

No one saw the device being placed, and no one has taken responsibility for the attack, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

"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.

Authorities were reviewing tapes from security cameras, but the process "will take many hours," the mayor 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 the 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.

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.

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.

Before the mayor's news conference, several people in military uniforms walked unimpeded through the scorched door. Recruiters will work from an office in Union Square until repairs are made, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told AP.

Subway service to Times Square was briefly halted but resumed in time for the morning rush hour.

"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. E-mail to a friend
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/06/times.square/index.html
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This is about as a pathetic as an attack can get. But, the media will blow it out of proportion as much as they can.

It's sad that the media helps terrorists without realizing it, for the most part.
 
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This is about as a pathetic as an attack can get. But, the media will blow it out of proportion as much as they can.

It's sad that the media helps terrorists without realizing it, for the most part.
This pretty much sums it up.
"omg evil terrorists are right in our middle!1!!!!111 ... call homeland security!!1!11 ... may <STRIKE>satan bhudda little baby jesus</STRIKE> god bless america!111!!! ... 1984 FTW!!111!111one!"
 
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exactly ready

btw, i hear you like trees? :x
 
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I doubt "terrorists" had anything to do with this, as no one was actually hurt. They could've done more damage by throwing a rock at someone, but they chose not to. This was not an act of terrorism, this was a message. "Don't send more of our soldiers to their deaths." would be my guess, but who knows, maybe this was a stunt on the opposition's side to make more people flood to the recruitment offices. All I know is that if anyone's a terrorist in this situation it's the media.

Chaos sells.
 
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I probably should've said 'criminal' instead of 'terrorist'... goes to show how my media is successfully programming me from time to time.
 

sub

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If you call these terrorists criminals, the terrorists win man.
 
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Interesting point of view.

If you call them terrorists the media proves it has controll over you and if you call them criminals the terrorists win.

Honestly terrorist is such a strong word. What makes them difrent from comon thugs spreading terror on the street?
 
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overhyped media hype is overhyped!

that's what this is, nothing more nothing less
this has already passed over it just doesn't know it yet
 
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I think (hope) Sub was being sarcastic, Grega.
 
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Introducing the "War on Bicycle Riders" coming to a bike shop near YOU!
 
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Soon, the President will use the Patriot Act to ban bicycles. Rollerblades will be next.
 
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When will people on wheels learn that terrorism is not the answer.
 
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Counter Strike Source Announcer: "Terrorists win!" *Gets jumped by headcrab*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yeah, probably is a form of war protest, especially seeing how nobody got hurt, which was likely the bomber's intention. This guy wanted his sentiment to be heard, which is why he went for Time's Square.
 

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News update:

WASHINGTON - Police are investigating letters that arrived Thursday at Capitol Hill offices containing a photo of the Times Square military recruiting office before it was bombed and including the claim "We Did It."

The manila envelopes contained a photo of a man standing in front of the recruiting station, according to a Democratic aide who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is under investigation. The photo was the kind commonly sent as a holiday greeting card.

The message on the card: "Happy New Year, We Did It."

The envelope also contained a packet of approximately 10 sheets of paper that seemed to be a political manifesto railing against the Iraq war and a booklet. The aide didn't know what the booklet was.

Postal inspectors were at the Capitol investigating the letters alongside Capitol Police, U.S. Postal Inspection Service spokesman Douglas Bem said. He had no details about the letters' content. A second law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the case is ongoing, confirmed some of their contents as described by the Democratic aide.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of an e-mail from the office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., to other lawmakers Thursday that reads:

"A few offices on the House side have received a letter today addressed to 'Members of Congress' with a picture of a man standing in front of the Times Square recruiting station that was bombed in New York today with the statement 'We did it.' He is standing in front of it with his arms spread out and he's attached his political manifesto."

Authorities advised the recipients to leave the letters alone and call police, the e-mail says.

The man was thin, white with graying hair, wearing a striped flannel shirt and jeans, according to the Democratic aide.

Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, a Capitol Police spokesman, said she had received media calls asking about the letter. She said she had made some initial checks but had not been able to confirm reports of the letter.

The small bomb caused minor damage to the New York military recruiting station before dawn Thursday and police were searching for a hooded bicyclist seen on a surveillance video pedaling away.

The blast 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."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080307...ast_letters;_ylt=AmyPnhiAYfbI_VNwUSiy7qus0NUE
 
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I probably should've said 'criminal' instead of 'terrorist'... goes to show how my media is successfully programming me from time to time.
Terrorism is just a type of crime. It can be committed by an individual. Timothy McVeigh was a terrorist; he's the person who blew up the Alfred P Murrah building in Oklahoma City.

What makes him a terrorist? The world can't agree on a solid definition of terrorism.

United States Department of State said:
No one definition of terrorism has gained universal acceptance. For the purposes of this report, however, we have chosen the definition of terrorism contained in Title 22 of the United States Code, Section 2656f(d). That statute contains the following definitions:

The term "terrorism" means premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant/*/ targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience.
The term "international terrorism" means terrorism involving citizens or the territory of more than one country.
The term "terrorist group" means any group practicing, or that has significant subgroups that practice, international terrorism.
Timothy McVeigh committed premeditated, politically motivated acts against unrelated, innocent people. Since terrorism is a crime (under the quoted US code), he was found, arrested, tried in civilian court and executed.

Summary: Not every criminal is a terrorist, but every terrorist is a criminal.
 
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Why are we discussing that? The only people spreading terror with a political agenda is the news these days. No one was hurt. Would you call a person who drove their car through the wall of a house a terrorist (assuming he had a political agenda)?
 

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Update:

WASHINGTON - There's apparently no link between the bombing of a military recruiting station in New York's Times Square and letters sent to Congress saying "We Did It," law enforcement officials said Friday.

The lengthy anti-war letters — which arrived with photos of a man standing in front of the recruiting office before it was damaged — contained no threats and were sent to as many as 100 members of Congress, officials said.

Laura Eimiller, an FBI spokeswoman in Los Angeles, said an individual was questioned there about the letters to Congress and "there is no evidence linking the letters, which contained no threat, to the bombing."

A law enforcement official in Washington, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation of the bombing was continuing, called the timing of the letters an "incredibly unbelievable coincidence" and said no charges were expected in connection with them.

Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill were startled to receive the letters in their office mail Thursday afternoon, just hours after the early morning New York bombing, and turned them over to the Capitol Police.

One law enforcement official said the "We Did It" referred to the Democratic wins. The Democrats gained control of Congress in 2006.

"It looked like a holiday card," Rep. James McGovern, D-Mass., said Friday. He described a photograph of a white man who appeared to be in his 30s or 40s, standing in front of the Times Square office before it was damaged, with the words, "We Did It" and "Happy New Year" printed below the photo.

Capitol Police, FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service were investigating.

In an e-mail to lawmakers, Capitol Police said the envelopes went through the standard security process. That process, which involves radiating incoming mail, can easily take a week or more, making it likely the letters were mailed well ahead of the bombing.

The small bomb caused minor damage to the New York military recruiting station before dawn Thursday and police were searching for a hooded bicyclist seen on a surveillance video pedaling away.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080307...ast_letters;_ylt=AhmgeKwuTtxMDxUlbzxhBF2s0NUE
 
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yeah right, i think they're trying to cover up what the bombing is suppose to mean to keep people from "thinking" about the views brought up in the letter
Seeing as how the media is quick to jump on anything sensational, I don't really see how your opinion is supported.

Had the man not been a coward, he could've bombed it, and waited for the police to show up and arrest him. He'd get lots of media attention for his cause. But like most terrorists, he tried to hurt people, didn't care if innocent people were caught in the crossfire, and left no direct message.
 

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