EXPLOSION ROCKS NYC'S TIMES SQUARE

Small Explosion Rocks New York's Times Square

Military Recruiting Station Targeted; Minor Damage and no Injuries Reported

New York police officers with the bomb squad unit inspect the damage done by an explosive device to the military recruitment center Thursday, March 6, 2008 in New York's Times Square. New York City police say some kind of explosive device was set off near a military recruiting station in Times Square. Police say there were no injuries in the blast early Thursday morning. The recruiting center at 43rd Street near Broadway had a large hole in the front window. (Mary Altaffer/AP Photo)

By RICHARD ESPOSITO
March 6, 2008

A small explosive device rocked New York's Times Square early today, causing minor damage to a military recruiting station.

The device shattered a glass entryway to the installation, but no one was injured, police said.

Video

Blast in Times Square

Law enforcement officials tell ABC News that a single, small improvised device was tossed, apparently by a man on a bike, at the armed forces booth in Times Square early this morning, causing the center of midtown Manhattan to be locked down and subways to be diverted but no major property damage.

Sources tell ABC News that the device was made from a green ammunition can filled with explosive powder. It blew out the lower part of the glass -- it's being described as a "low explosive."

Witnesses staying at a Times Square hotel in the area said they heard a "big bang" and could feel the building shake. A large plume of smoke was also visible after the explosion, they said.

Early in the investigation, subway cars passed through the Times Square station without stopping, but normal service was restored, with some delays, before the morning rush hour.

"If it is something that's directed toward American troops than t's something that's taken very seriously and is pretty unfortunate," Army Capt. Charlie Jaquillard, commander of Army recruiting in Manhattan, told The Associated Press.

The recruiting station, located on a traffic island surrounded by Broadway theaters and chain restaurants, has occasionally been the site of anti-war demonstrations, ranging from silent vigils to loud rallies.

The incident bore strong similarities to two past incidents where small homemade bombs or incendiary devices were tossed at official buildings in New York in the last two years. Two were tossed at the British consulate and more recently two were tossed at the Mexican consulate.

In each case a man on a bike was captured in hazy video images. In this case a man on a bike was seen leaving as well. Police found no second device this time.

Emergency service officers, bomb technicians and bomb sniffing dogs were combing the scene and collecting bits of metal that may have come from the device. They were packed with black power and detonated with fuses, but incapable of causing serious harm, police said.

In October 2005 a group of activists who call themselves the Granny Peace Brigade rallied there against the Iraq War. Eighteen activists, most of them grandmothers with several in their 80s and 90s, were later acquitted of disorderly conduct.

The recruiting station was renovated in 1999 to better fit into the flashy ambiance of Times Square, using neon tubing to give the glass and steel office a patriotic American flag motif.

For a half century, the station was the armed forces' busiest recruiting center. It has set national records for enlistment, averaging about 10,000 volunteers a year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=4398877&page=1