Car bomb in Times Square?

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**Kid_Kyoto**

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/nyregion/02timessquare.html?hp

Police Find Explosives in an S.U.V. in Times Square
By RAY RIVERA and KARIN HENRY

A suspicious vehicle in the heart of Times Square led the police to clear thousands of tourists and theatergoers from the area on a warm and busy Saturday evening.

There was no explosion.

Police officials said a witness reported a running Nissan Pathfinder with Connecticut plates, with smoke coming out of the back. A bomb squad robot popped the back latch of the Pathfinder, and officers found what they initially believed was a bomb. The vehicle was found to contain explosives, gasoline, propane and burned wires, a Fire Department officer told Reuters.

The officer, who did not give his name because he was not authorized to speak to the news media, said that a man was seen fleeing the S.U.V. and that the police evacuated the area in case there were other threats nearby.

The officer said that the police were treating the vehicle as a “failed device.” The police were searching for a suspect.

A federal official said that it was not considered a terrorist threat and that the New York Police Department had told the Department of Homeland Security to stand down.

The license plates on the Nissan were registered to a Ford, the police said.

A New York City firefighter who told Reuters he arrived early on the scene said that the vehicle was smoking and that he saw “a flash” from the back of the it. “We put two and two together” and the evacuation was ordered, he said.

Broadway was closed between at least 43rd and 46th Streets, and the police also appeared to be closing off part of Eighth Avenue.

The police said they planned to close down Broadway shows in the vicinity, Reuters reported, but it was not clear whether any theaters had actually been evacuated.

Onlookers crowded against the metal barricades encircling the area, taking pictures with cellphones and video cameras, although only a swarm of flashing fire trucks and police cars was visible.

Many people stayed to watch after being shut out of Broadway shows or prevented from getting back to their hotels, trading rumors about what was happening.

The Toy “R” Us, between 44th and 45th Streets, was empty.

Gabrielle Zecha and Taj Heniser, visiting from Seattle, had tickets to see “Next to Normal” at the Booth Theater on 45th Street but could not get into the 8 p.m. show because the area was blocked off. But they made the best of the spectacle. “It’s a whole different kind of show,” Ms. Heniser said, adding, “It’s almost the equivalent of a $150 show.”

In December, the police closed Times Square for nearly two hours as they investigated a suspiciously parked van, delaying the rehearsal of the New Year’s ball drop. However, the van turned out to contain nothing but clothing.

Reporting was contributed by Al Baker, Micah Cohen and Steve Kenny in New York and Eric Lipton in Washington.

A 'failed device' is a heckuva lot better than a successful one but this is really scary.

**Cheese Elemental**

Damn I was just about to post this. Wonder if it was Muslim extremists that set it up, or something closer to home.

**Gwar!**

Just saw this on the BBC too.

All I can say is, whoever set it is an idiot. You do NOT try and Bomb NY when NY is the most vigilant about that sort of thing. If these guys were serious, they would have gone for Chicago or Hollywood.

**Fateweaver**

Of course it wasn't considered a terrorist threat.

If the official report mentions terrorists or Islam or Jihad those words will be edited out.

Anyway, perhaps it was just someone pissed off at their Nissan and wanted to blow it up.

Hmm.

**sebster**

Gwar! wrote:Just saw this on the BBC too.

All I can say is, whoever set it is an idiot. You do NOT try and Bomb NY when NY is the most vigilant about that sort of thing. If these guys were serious, they would have gone for Chicago or Hollywood.

If you assume the primary goal is death and damage to property.

Media reaction and symoblism play a much bigger part.

**Kilkrazy**

If you want to make a media splash you hit a well known target. Times Square is certainly that.

It sounds like the car bomb near Piccadilly Circus a couple of years ago.

**BaronIveagh**

If you want to hit something in NYC, you don't use a car bomb. You park a car in a private parking lot/garage six blocks away with an IRA style mortar in the back seat, calmly walk away, and then remotely activate.

All I have to say is: I prefer having enemies this dumb. Don't you?

**dogma**

It seems as though the stupidity was focused on either using a fuse which was too long, or generally poor construction.

Additionally, the lack of a suicide component points away from Islamist influence, but that means very little. It will be interesting to see what investigation turns up.

**BaronIveagh**

Don't assume that lack of suicide equates non-Islamic.

My money is on shoddy workmanship. Probably an inexperienced, first time bomb builder. What little has been said about it suggests that it was not a terribly sophisticated device.

While electronics are expensive, they're your friend in the world of high ex mayhem. A good quality encrypted remote detonator made from a single eprom and a toy walkie-talkie available in any store is worth it's weight in plastique..

**dogma**

BaronIveagh wrote:Don't assume that lack of suicide equates non-Islamic.

I didn't. Note how certainty was not referenced in my language.

BaronIveagh wrote:
My money is on shoddy workmanship. Probably an inexperienced, first time bomb builder. What little has been said about it suggests that it was not a terribly sophisticated device.

While electronics are expensive, they're your friend in the world of high ex mayhem. A good quality encrypted remote detonator made from a single eprom and a toy walkie-talkie available in any store is worth it's weight in plastique..

Electronics are more prone to human error than flame detonation.

**youbedead**

Unlikely that this was from a foreign terrorist org. more likely this was something like the OK city bombing just whoever made this had no training in explosives unlike mcbeal

**Kid_Kyoto**

Can we perhaps refrain from suggesting how best to blow up my city?

**WarOne**

Agreed let us applaud the fact it was discovered and malfunctioned before anyone ever got injured.

**BaronIveagh**

Kid_Kyoto wrote:Can we perhaps refrain from suggesting how best to blow up my city?

What, you don 't want to hear how to use a Liquid Natural Gas hauler to make Big Applesauce?

**Monster Rain**

BaronIveagh wrote:
Kid_Kyoto wrote:Can we perhaps refrain from suggesting how best to blow up my city?

What, you don 't want to hear how to use a Liquid Natural Gas hauler to make Big Applesauce?

I can't help it. Big Applesauce is hysterical.

Kid_Kyoto, I'm sure Al Qaeda isn't lurking Dakka Dakka for tips on how to bomb things.

OT: I'm just glad they caught it. I'm a little surprised that they even got it into Times Square though... Perhaps vigilance is becoming a bit slack?

**BaronIveagh**

And if they are: Stop by, visit me, so I can turn you in for the ransom and then show you how it's done.

**Kid_Kyoto**

Monster Rain wrote:

Kid_Kyoto, I'm sure Al Qaeda isn't lurking Dakka Dakka for tips on how to bomb things.

OT: I'm just glad they caught it. I'm a little surprised that they even got it into Times Square though... Perhaps vigilance is becoming a bit slack?

Doesn't mean it's my favorite subject to dwell on though. And FYI the best way to do it is simultanius bombings during rushhour in the subway and tunnels.

**BaronIveagh**

Nah. You'd only kill, what, a few hundred thousand, and trap more on the island?

The LNG trick will give you a yield of a few kilotons, at least. I think that would have more effect.

**ShumaGorath**

Fateweaver wrote:Of course it wasn't considered a terrorist threat.

If the official report mentions terrorists or Islam or Jihad those words will be edited out.

Anyway, perhaps it was just someone pissed off at their Nissan and wanted to blow it up.

Hmm.

Wouldn't considering it a terrorist threat imply an active terrorist threat? NY police are famously independent too.

Nah. You'd only kill, what, a few hundred thousand, and trap more on the island?

The LNG trick will give you a yield of a few kilotons, at least. I think that would have more effect.

Kilotonnes... I highly doubt one cryo LNG truck contains enough material for a multi killotonne explosion.

**BaronIveagh**

Not a truck. New York is a harbor. I'm talking about a LNG tanker.

**Orkeosaurus**

Have you guys considered putting a bunch of bombs on a ferry filled with civilians, and a ferry filled with criminals, and then giving each one the detonator to the other one, and telling them that if they don't blow the other ship by a certain time then you will blow both ships up, while wearing badly smeared makeup all over your face?

**ShumaGorath**

BaronIveagh wrote:Not a truck. New York is a harbor. I'm talking about a LNG tanker.

Are they shooting this tanker with a missile? Hijacking it? How often does a liquid natural gas tanker need to come to new york? There are no facilities to handle one there as far as I know. It would be awfully out of place.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Orkeosaurus wrote:Have you guys considered putting a bunch of bombs on a ferry filled with civilians, and a ferry filled with criminals, and then giving each one the detonator to the other one, and telling them that if they don't blow the other ship by a certain time then you will blow both ships up, while wearing badly smeared makeup all over your face?

Dude.. Too soon.

**Blitza da warboy**

Orkeosaurus wrote:Have you guys considered putting a bunch of bombs on a ferry filled with civilians, and a ferry filled with criminals, and then giving each one the detonator to the other one, and telling them that if they don't blow the other ship by a certain time then you will blow both ships up, while wearing badly smeared makeup all over your face?

LOL then we would get some crazy mother teling overprotective parents that videogames will turn them into criminals

**KingCracker**

BaronIveagh wrote:If you want to hit something in NYC, you don't use a car bomb. You park a car in a private parking lot/garage six blocks away with an IRA style mortar in the back seat, calmly walk away, and then remotely activate.

All I have to say is: I prefer having enemies this dumb. Don't you?

Id have to agree on that one. Its a bit freaky that was planted there, but at least they failed to arm a simple bomb properly. So I guess that is a plus anyways

**BaronIveagh**

ShumaGorath wrote:
BaronIveagh wrote:Not a truck. New York is a harbor. I'm talking about a LNG tanker.

Are they shooting this tanker with a missile? Hijacking it? How often does a liquid natural gas tanker need to come to new york? There are no facilities to handle one there as far as I know. It would be awfully out of place.

Um, actually, no. LNG ships are actually common in the waters off NY. The site of one putting into port NY temporarily, particularly if there's a storm at Boston, is not uncommon. To effectively weaponize a LNG tanker would require about five armed men, some explosives and the know how to use them, and a working knowledge of LNG tankers. On your approach to the harbor, slowly open a few of the valves. This serves a double purpose, first by lowering the pressure in the tank, causing the LNG to boil more rapidly. The second is to allow air to enter the tanks, warming it, and introducing oxygen into the tank.

You have now created a Fuel Aerosol Explosive. A really big one.

Now: for extra fun, mount a few shaped plastique and magnesium charges on the tanks to breach the insulation, as well as one on the ships own NG storage tank, near the engines. Now, unless you're a suicide team, get out of dodge. Remotely detonate with a timer backup.

**ShumaGorath**

BaronIveagh wrote:
ShumaGorath wrote:
BaronIveagh wrote:Not a truck. New York is a harbor. I'm talking about a LNG tanker.

Are they shooting this tanker with a missile? Hijacking it? How often does a liquid natural gas tanker need to come to new york? There are no facilities to handle one there as far as I know. It would be awfully out of place.

Um, actually, no. LNG ships are actually common in the waters off NY. The site of one putting into port NY temporarily, particularly if there's a storm at Boston, is not uncommon. To effectively weaponize a LNG tanker would require about five armed men, some explosives and the know how to use them, and a working knowledge of LNG tankers. On your approach to the harbor, slowly open a few of the valves. This serves a double purpose, first by lowering the pressure in the tank, causing the LNG to boil more rapidly. The second is to allow air to enter the tanks, warming it, and introducing oxygen into the tank.

You have now created a Fuel Aerosol Explosive. A really big one.

Now: for extra fun, mount a few shaped plastique and magnesium charges on the tanks to breach the insulation, as well as one on the ships own NG storage tank, near the engines. Now, unless you're a suicide team, get out of dodge. Remotely detonate with a timer backup.

I'm glad you've put so much work into figuring all this out. Aluah Akbar.

So we have to have a ship hijack, a hurricane, quiet entry into a port, and the successful navigation of an incredibly large ship by people likely not trained in any of its steering or navigation systems. All this then has to happen unnoticed. You're ambitious!

**sexiest_hero**

New lead, Police looking for white male in his 40s.

**Gwar!**

<tinfoil>
BaronIveagh is really an NSA Sleeper Agent tasked with seeding ideas into the minds of potential domestic terrorists so that the FBI can watch for people trying to do these plans.
</tinfoil>

**Kilkrazy**

BP is making a pretty good mess of the Gulf of Mexico at the moment without any assistance from international terrorism.

**Gwar!**

Kilkrazy wrote:BP is making a pretty good mess of the Gulf of Mexico at the moment without any assistance from international terrorism.

<moar tinfoils>
Anyone else find it odd that as soon as Obama says "go drill off shore", something which is really unpoppular, that there is a massive disaster, allowing Obama to save face and stop offshore Drilling?
</moar tinfoils>