On May 1, 2010, at approximately 6:30 p.m. in New York City, smoke and noises emanated from within a vehicle. The police and anyone else, fled the scene and called in the bomb squad.
The police were responding to a situation and discovered a propane tank and a power source connected to what appeared to be a timer device in the backseat of vehicle in Times Square.
Anarchists apparently like to cause problems and have caused problems in the past - reasonably leading us to believe it could be anarchists - Emma Goldman is haunting New York.
However, this was a bigger device and included components not found in previous cases - not propane tanks within vehicles. If it had gone off, it could have resulted in significant casualties, unlike previous incidents which occurred late at night.
Very quickly, authorities in New York told the worried public that the explosive device discovered in the vehicle was constructed by amateurs - this is what Bloomberg told the public. The vehicle had two five-gallon containers of gasoline, three propane tanks, two timing devices, electrical components and commercial-grade fireworks. Amateur. And of course, not very serious, even for anarchists. Nor for shoe-bombers or underwear bombers.
Amateur does not detail who nor how committed, rather that they have not done this sort of thing before - hence amateur. They were committed and had it gone off, many people would not be alive today to hear Bloomberg make his comments.
The incident bears similarities to the attacks in London in 2007, when two failed vehicle bombs were placed in central London, in an attempt to cause mass casualties. Like the Times Square device, the London devices also contained propane tanks and cans of gasoline with an explosive charge.
A cell perhaps, newly developed in the US, perhaps the same bombmaker, transplanted here. Maybe we should check.
Someone purporting to represent the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the failed attack in a statement posted to the Internet, but the TTP are a highly professional organization and have a long history of building functional and effective improvised explosive devices. The person who constructed the Times Square device was not a professional - BUT this should not immediately cause anyone to dismiss the TTP. The TTP could have promoted, provided the approval, ordered it to be done, and along the way, individuals took up the mantle and made the attempt.
I tend to believe Islamic terrorists when they tell me something - can they lie, yes, but, there is a question as to whether the individual who is lying is actually a member of the group. When the group does speak through an authorized voice, they will tell the truth more often than anyone in our government on any given day.
It is more than likely that they will follow this one up with a more successful attack. Why? Just because they have to, if they are indeed part of the larger al -qaida movement.
Pakistani Taliban Claims Responsibility, Reports Claim
Times Square Bomb Plot Revenge, Group Says
Updated: Sunday, 02 May 2010, 10:34 PM EDT
ADRIAN CARRASQUILLO
MYFOXNY.COM - New York City's police commissioner says there's no evidence of a Taliban link to a failed bomb found in an SUV parked in Times Square but said he couldn't rule them out.
On Sunday, Fox 5 reported on a Reuters story that the Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for the bomb plot.
According to Fox News, in a 1 minute video allegedly released by the Pakistani Taliban, the group says the attack is revenge for the death of its leader Baitullah Mehsud and the recent killings of the top leaders of al-Qaida in Iraq.
Images of the slain militants are shown as an unidentified voice recites the message. English subtitles are at the bottom of the screen.
According to the AP, an unidentified speaker on the tape also says the attack comes in response to American "interference and terrorism in Muslim Countries, especially in Pakistan."
The claim could not be immediately confirmed andhe tape makes no specific reference to the attack nor does it mention that it was a car bomb or that it took place in New York City.
A text in gold letters on a black background at the start of the video congratulates Muslims for the "jaw-breaking blow to Satan's USA." As the speaker recites the message, images of the slain militants referred to flash across the screen. English subtitles are provided at the bottom of the screen.
The video was uncovered Sunday by SITE, which monitors militant websites and has been accurate with such militant claims in the past.
The Pakistani Taliban is one of Pakistan's largest and deadliest militant groups. It has strong links to al-Qaida and is based in the northwest close to the Afghan border. The group has carried out scores of bloody attacks inside Pakistan in recent years, mostly against Pakistani targets, but it has made no secret of its hatred toward the United States.
The investigation into the Times Square bomb plot is ongoing. Mayor Bloomberg called the improvised device "amateurish".
According to the New York Times, a 911 call on Sunday morning warned that the bomb plot was merely a diversion for a much bigger explosion that is set to happen at Times Square.
More information on these developments throughout Sunday. The FBI released the following statement:
The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York, along with the NYPD, has responded to Times Square in response to the vehicle and device. Bomb technicians, Evidence Response Team members, and investigators are on scene and a command post has been established. All of the resources of the New York FBI office are available to assist with this ongoing investigation. Numerous initial reports will be checked and authenticated and the appropriate leads will be set.
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