March 6, 2008
Times Square Explosion; No Injuries, "Improvised Device"
Photograph of damaged door by dhfdz on Flickr
Around 3:45 a.m., a device exploded outside the military recruiting center in Times Square. No one was injured, but a glass entryway was shattered.
The streets around Times Square were shut down (now traffic can pass through) and subway service passed through the Times Square station without stopping (it's back to normal now), as authorities investigated the scene. WNBC reports police were searching for a "suspect seen on a bicycle fleeing the scene after the blast" - a witness saw a man wearing a grey jacket with a hood "pulled tight with a drawstring" heading south.
According to WABC, police say the device was an improvised explosive, a "green ammunition can" with a low level of explosive. A hotel guest at the Marriott Marquis nearby said, "I was up on the 44th floor and I could feel it. It was a big bang," while another said, "It shook the building. I thought it could have been thunder, but I looked down and there was a massive plume of smoke so I knew it was an explosion."
Photograph of police investigating the explosion scene in Times Square by Mary Altaffer/AP
Captain Charlie Jaquillard, commander of recruiting in Manhattan, said, "If it is something that is directed toward American troops, then it's something that's taken very seriously and is pretty unfortunate," he said. The recruiting center, in the heart of Times Square at West 43rd Street and Broadway, has been the site of many protests, from the Granny Brigade to 2004 Republican Convention events.
Last October, grenades were thrown at the Mexican consulate, and, in 2005, an explosive was set off outside the British Consulate.
Update: During a press conference, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly mentioned the witness's account, "The [suspect] (on the bicycle) was wearing a hood and dark colored clothing, also carrying a backpack. He did not see the individual’s face." And Mayor 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. We will not tolerate such attacks."
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couldn't he have aimed it at TGI Fridays or that mall and done as us a favor? to bad carson daly's not there anymore...
well, when you're recruiting for an endless offensive war, some people tend to not like you. what do they really expect?
I love the fact that anything that can be seen as an act of protest toward the military and/or war is construed as an "attack on the troops."
A man in white underwear with a guitar was seen fleeing the scene.
Are these comments serious? It was an explosion, not a peaceful protest with signs.
Correction:
A man in stained white underwear with a guitar was seen fleeing the scene
If an ubiquitous police and military presence around the city can't defend a military recruiting center in the middle of Times Square in NYC at its emptiest hour, isn't the conceit of sealing ourselves off from terrorism an absolute joke?
not a big deal....there is an explosion in Baghdad every few hours, every day
yes...it was an explosion...
at 3:30 in the morning...
when no one is around...
contrary to popular slogans, this city does sleep.
whatever, fuck them, they spend their days signing people up to kill and die. i'm supposed to give a shit about their broken window. go anonymous guy in the hoodie on a bicycle!
"act of protest"
"what do they really expect"
Are you joking. Get some coffee and get a grip.
I always suspect the CIA first in these cases. I mean, who's really going to profit from this incident?
Bloomberg, use your Orwellian cameras!
Nothing says "freedom" like blowing up a landmark.
I hope they catch this guy and give his dirty hippie arse a shower.
With MTV Studios right across the street. What a waste of good explosives.
Maybe the bicycle was a ruse to make it seem like some eco peace love hairgreasin' peacenik.
I think it was the act of a developer that wants to clear the tiny spot for a mini-condo. Or another Starbucks.
My first thought was someone from PETA who'd seen that video of the Marine and that poor puppy dog...
"well, when you're recruiting for an endless offensive war, some people tend to not like you. what do they really expect?"
"whatever, fuck them, they spend their days signing people up to kill and die. i'm supposed to give a shit about their broken window. go anonymous guy in the hoodie on a bicycle!"
You people are pathetic. I'm sure you were right out there clamoring for "An End to the War" and "Peace", right? So much for your non-violence. This type of thing is never justified. Even if you are/were against the war in Iraq (I was/am) how can you condone so flippantly people who would give their life to defend your sorry ass and your right to make such dumbass comments.
Iraq being on the western side of Iran and Afghanistan on th eastern and Turkey, Kuwait, Oman, the UAE and Pakistan are all allies (to some degree) — I'd say it was a helluva strategic move by the United States to preemptively surround Iran.
watch out Critical Mass...
You people are pathetic. I'm sure you were right out there clamoring for "An End to the War" and "Peace", right? So much for your non-violence. This type of thing is never justified. Even if you are/were against the war in Iraq (I was/am) how can you condone so flippantly people who would give their life to defend your sorry ass and your right to make such dumbass comments.
I don't think anyone's justifying it; the readers here just understand the rationale behind it so they don't want to post the perfunctory, "Oh my God. I hope everyone is alright" type of comments.
It happened. I'm not surprised. I'm surprised it took this long for a violent protest. Civil disobedience is really the best method.
@tx
they are not defending me, they are defending US economic interests while fostering bad will around the world and putting me as an american citizen in greater danger. at least no one was injured in this explosion. can't say that about any military incursion ever. while i don't condone violence that takes a life, i'm fully ok with demonstrative acts of destruction such as this.
not to mention, this wasn't an attack on us troops, rather on us army recruiters. men and women who spend their days signing up other men and women to fight and die so they don't have to.
Last time I checked, service in any of our Armed Forces is voluntary. Recruiters are sleazy salesmen, sure, but you're an idiot if you don't know what you're signing away when you sign that dotted line.
"they are not defending me"
petebfd, you're an idiot.
all of our military isn't deployed in iraq. a lot of them are actually defending you & your right to say idiotic things on the internet.
"i'm fully ok with demonstrative acts of destruction such as this."
are you inviting people who disagree with you to blow up your apartment while you are at work?
This is a helluva way to ask for more bike lanes. Brothers, stick to petitions.
PS: Pretty funny, TKaisen
I second Dave Hogarty's comment. The fact that no police were in the area of Times Square when this happened shows potential terrorists that there is an opportunity here to possibly plant some sort of bomb/explosive (to be detonated at a later time when there are thousands of people around) without worrying about police seeing you. I'm not trying to give anyone any ideas...I'm just saying it makes all this anti-terrorism stuff look like a joke.
"Civil Disobedience"
What is civil about anonymously bombing a building, pray tell. Rosa Parks exercised civil disobedience. Thoreau wrote all about it in 1849, essay is called "Civil Disobedience". But it was originally caller "Resistance to Civil Government"
Read it here:
http://www.transcendentalists.com/civil_disobedience.htm
I get the frustration, anger and hate with Bush etal and all they are blamed for. But for real, this is how you think America can be made better? And you think it will work?
"Civil Disobedience"
What is civil about anonymously bombing a building, pray tell. Rosa Parks exercised civil disobedience. Thoreau wrote all about it in 1849, essay is called "Civil Disobedience". But it was originally caller "Resistance to Civil Government"
Read it here:
http://www.transcendentalists.com/civil_disobedience.htm
I get the frustration, anger and hate with Bush etal and all they are blamed for. But for real, this is how you think America can be made better? And you think it will work?
@zodak
well without responding to the namecalling, i'm going to have to go ahead and disagree with you. you are unbelievably short sighted. nothing the american military is currently engaged in protects me or my right to say idiotic things on the internet. it protects my right to be a gas guzzling, overeating, over shopping jackass. which i try not to be in protest. and at no time did i mention iraq. the us gov't has been waging wars solely for economic interests longer than you or i have been alive. in the middle east, in indochina, south america, you name the place, we've probably killed people there for monetary gain.
and this nonsense hypothetical about blowing up my apartment is barely worth the argument. stuff like that is what uniformed people say to try to quash discussions like this. "let's take this to its logical conclusion and say what if you and your stuff got blown up? not so smart now!" except that i'm not a military institution inviting violence by the fact that i trade in instability and death. which was the point i was making that you so conveniently ignored.
Walking from 52nd & Madison to the Port Authority at 11:30-ish last night, my coworkers and I saw a girl in hooded sweatshirt riding east on 52nd. She was riding on the sidewalk and going WAY too fast. We actually remarked to each other how she didn't even stop pedaling as she went past us, she just kept on going. Weird, huh?
"Oh my God. I hope everyone is alright."
What is civil about anonymously bombing a building, pray tell. Rosa Parks exercised civil disobedience. Thoreau wrote all about it in 1849, essay is called "Civil Disobedience". But it was originally caller "Resistance to Civil Government"
Frank Martin,
I think you misunderstood. It should have probably read, "But, civil disobedience is the best method."
I wasn't trying to call destroying a building, civil disobedience.
My fault; it should have been clearer.
Look, we know a lot of these liberals are lunatics. What is actually funny is that this is a federal crime, so when he is caught, as he will be b/c he is a dumb dirty hippie, said dumb dirty hippie will be locked in a federal prison, with, uh, how shall I say it...people not like him.
TimSPC: So you were suspicious of a girl wearing a hooded sweatshirt goin' east on a bicycle on the sidewalk at a high rate of speed?!?!
Weird? No. Typical? Yes.
this was a test and you guys failed.
the thousand years is over. now, who's smarter than a fifth grader? see it on FOX.
Chips,
Ha, makes perfect sense now
i don't think its lunacy, i think its a display of a growing discontent in this country that someday soon people are going to be forced to wake up to
What I woke up to were residual delays in subway service.
The growing discontent is with anyone that would take such action to prove a point. I suppose Timothy McVeigh, the IRA, the WTC 1 and WTC 2 folks are right for their political motives, according to that reasoning.
Whatever your position on the war, understand that incidents such as these only help the government attain more power. While we should be vigilant in our efforts to smash Islamic fascism abroad (and at home), we must also always beware of government attempts to grab more power. Bombings in London enabled our city's police to begin random searches of subway passengers. What will bombings in New York provide cover for?
Ultimately, petebfd, this sort of protest will be counterproductive. It feeds into the GOP/Bush approach to politics. Even Bloomberg slid into Bush fearmonger/support the troops mode with all of the ''patriotic'' talk.
Our military has done a lot of good in the world.
men and women who spend their days signing up other men and women to fight and die so they don't have to.
Actually, they're signing up people to go fight and die so YOU don't have to. Recruiters job is to keep the military force voluntary so EVERYONE doesn't have to join at some point in their lives. Without recruiters, there would be drafts.
Keep up the good work, fellas.
@mjg
i agree that the gop/bush/gestapo faction of the gov't will definately exploit this. but what are people supposed to do? just fall in line? march around in predetermined permitted protest zones where they won't bother the rich important people and will get a quick pointless blurb in the news media?
whether in the end this is helpful or harmful i don't know, but someone did this because they feel very strongly that we are doing something wrong as a nation (or as a species even), and i think alot of people feel the same way. so the debate really should be about why someone felt the need to do this. not a bunch of liberal bashing or army bashing, or calling people dirty hippies, or patriotic chest-puffing, or worrying about how it affects your commute (i mean fucking come on with that comment). the discussion should be about why this discontent is festering. but no, that can't work, if we all resort to rational thought, the terrorists win...
TKaisen and others: As a former member of the U.S. Army I appreciate and respect the sacrifices that young men and women that volunteer for the Armed Forces make for their country, but they are not dying so I don't have to. They are dying because of an idiotic foreign policy.
Actually, they're signing up people to go fight and die so YOU don't have to. Recruiters job is to keep the military force voluntary so EVERYONE doesn't have to join at some point in their lives. Without recruiters, there would be drafts.
Keep up the good work, fellas.
Your logic is still that they sign up people so others don't have to. That includes you, me, and those recruiters.
Then again, if we didn't kill off 4,000 of our own, maim 10,000 of our own in needless wars, we'd be better off. Not to mention our 700+ bases in 100+ countries. We wouldn't need recruiters to fill the ranks if we had fewer bases.
"the terrorists win..."
Soooo....the logical thing to do is to become one?
@ likesrudy
way to move the discussion in a circle.
Your logic is still that they sign up people so others don't have to. That includes you, me, and those recruiters.
No the logic is they sign up volunteers so they don't have to force people to sign up. News for you... if we didn't have a voluntary system, we'd have a mandatory one.
As a former member of the U.S. Army I appreciate and respect the sacrifices that young men and women that volunteer for the Armed Forces make for their country, but they are not dying so I don't have to. They are dying because of an idiotic foreign policy.
Bro, I have nothing but respect for people who join the military.
Just goes to show my opinion that cameras all over the city do not stop crime or deter anyone from doing anything they want to do.
What place in NYC has more cameras all over it than Times Square? All these police cameras can do it say hey look that's the guy with the backpack just before he detonates - we have big brother with a false sense of security.
The funds spent on cameras should pay for a cop to be in Times Square for crying out loud. In fact isn't the police station like 1/2 a block from where this device was detonated?
Rationalize all you want. This is domestic terrorism. Weather Underground and SLA started out the exact same way.
The debate isnt about Muslims flying planes into buildings and forcing little italian secretaries to leap to their deaths, its about WHY said Muslims felt the need to kill office workers. Obviously.
I agree with the commuting comments. Seriously, can you do this on the fucking weekend? People are trying to get to work in the am. These moonbats gotta F it up for everyone.
They keep telling me its all coming to an end, yet every single day I look for pieces of the sky on the ground...nothing.
How about moving this recruitment center to a less crowded location? Don't tell me they need the high-profile location - I think everyone and his brother around-the-world is aware of the American military.
Bro, I have nothing but respect for people who join the military.
Lots of young people today have few choices but to join the military. If they even manage to graduate high school, they have few skills and the local job markets have only low-paying service jobs to offer (not so much the case in the Metro area here, but around much of the rest of the country). Their decision to join the military might not be so much based on patriotism, but rather a financial, practical, and perhaps even a choice of last-resort.
Rolltide, I'm sure it makes you feel excited to imagine some sort of congenital tendency of liberals toward terrorism, but try to keep it in your pants.
The most effective domestic terrorists in the last decades were were Timothy McVeigh and Eric Rudolph, both right wing christians. The Unabomber, who hated the left and right equally, probably comes in 3rd.
Does that mean that right wing christians are more likely to be terrorists? Nope. It means that every group has its loons. And they are not representative of the group as a whole, unless we're talking about the Klan or Crips or the Mob.
i was expecting an idiotic comment thread to this, but what i got surpassed every expectation.