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No Evidence Of Taliban Link To Times Square Car Bomb
By
Jen Chung
Published May 2, 2010
Modified May 2, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published May 2, 2010
Modified May 2, 2010
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While the Pakistani Taliban claimed credit for the Times Square car bomb found last night, today the police said there's no evidence of any link so far. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said, "Although we have not yet determined whether the Times Square car bomb is linked to any specific terrorist organization, we are working very closely with the FBI through the Joint Terrorist Task Force on this case."
In fact, the police are going to look at a video that a tourist from Pennsylvania took; the tourist believes he may have filmed a suspect connected to the car bomb. The police also cited another video, this one from a surveillance camera: According to WCBS 2, Kelly said "a white man in his 40s was seen taking off his shirt in an alley and putting it in a bag" on the video. The man in the video apparently looks around in a furtive manner; the Commissioner did say it was unclear if this was actually the suspect and could just be an innocent person caught on tape.
Kelly also gave more details about the device found in the Nissan Pathfinder SUV: There was a pressure cooker with a few M-80 fireworks in it, wired to two alarm clocks, in between some containers of gasoline. In the backseat, there were three propane tanks, as well as a gun locker that had eight bags of a fertilizer-like substance (it's unclear what the substance is, the NYPD is conducting tests). Kelly said whoever created wanted to "cause mayhem, create casualties."
The NYPD is also reportedly investigating whether the Muslim groups upset about a South Park episode are involved. And Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano said, "We are treating it as if it could be a potential terrorist attack... Right now, we have no evidence other than it is a one-off."
As for the t-shirt vendor who told an NYPD mounted officer, Vietnam vet Lance Orton didn't want to talk to the press, but did offer, after explaining he had been selling things on the streets for 20 years ("I don’t have too much of a choice, nobody’s giving me a job"), "See something, say something."
Tagged
bomb
car bomb
explosion
fertilizer
M88
Nissan Pathfinder
nypd
south park
suv
taliban
Times Square
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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