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About 4:00 AM local time someone on a bike threw a bomb at the front of the all-services military recruiting station in Times Square.
"Powdered device" translation: pipe bomb
"Powdered device" translation: pipe bomb
Explosion Rocks Times Square
By Jonathan Dienst and Alice McQuillan
The explosion occurred at around 3:45 a.m. on 45th Street, authorities said.
Times Square was shut down as police looked for a suspect seen on a bicycle fleeing the scene after the blast. The device appears to have been a small, powdered device, according to police.
The glass front of the recruitment building was blown out and there was some damage to the interior, but there were no reports of any injuries. Chopper 4 shot video of the scene, showing shattered glass on the sidewalk.
A massive police presence responded and bomb-sniffing dogs scoured the area.
"You heard a loud boom and you could hear it all the way on the 44th floor," one woman who was staying at the nearby Marriott Marquis told WNBC.com.
One witness said they saw a man or woman leaving the scene on a bicycle.
Police are interviewing witnesses and pulling area security cameras to try to get leads on the suspect.
Traffic has been shut down on 7th Avenue and Broadway between 42nd and 46th streets. Subway service along the 1, 2, 3, N, Q, R, W and shuttle was skipping Time Square stops as the investigation continues through about 6 a.m., but full service has resumed, according to MTA officials.
Law enforcement officials are now looking into whether the suspect is the same man who threw explosive devices at the British and Mexican Consulates in the early-morning hours in recent years.
It was back on Oct. 26 when a man on a bicycle was seen throwing a small black powdered device at the Mexican Consulate along East 39th Street. A man on a bicycle was seen throwing two black powdered hand grenades at the British Consulate along Third Avenue back in May 2005. No one was injured in those prior incidents and no suspect was ever caught.
Law enforcement officials said a preliminary review shows Thursday's explosion was caused by a can filled with some sort of explosive powder. Investigators are recovering evidence to see if the device is similar to the ones used in the consulate incidents.
WNBC.com will provide more details as soon as they become available.
By Jonathan Dienst and Alice McQuillan
The explosion occurred at around 3:45 a.m. on 45th Street, authorities said.
Times Square was shut down as police looked for a suspect seen on a bicycle fleeing the scene after the blast. The device appears to have been a small, powdered device, according to police.
The glass front of the recruitment building was blown out and there was some damage to the interior, but there were no reports of any injuries. Chopper 4 shot video of the scene, showing shattered glass on the sidewalk.
A massive police presence responded and bomb-sniffing dogs scoured the area.
"You heard a loud boom and you could hear it all the way on the 44th floor," one woman who was staying at the nearby Marriott Marquis told WNBC.com.
One witness said they saw a man or woman leaving the scene on a bicycle.
Police are interviewing witnesses and pulling area security cameras to try to get leads on the suspect.
Traffic has been shut down on 7th Avenue and Broadway between 42nd and 46th streets. Subway service along the 1, 2, 3, N, Q, R, W and shuttle was skipping Time Square stops as the investigation continues through about 6 a.m., but full service has resumed, according to MTA officials.
Law enforcement officials are now looking into whether the suspect is the same man who threw explosive devices at the British and Mexican Consulates in the early-morning hours in recent years.
It was back on Oct. 26 when a man on a bicycle was seen throwing a small black powdered device at the Mexican Consulate along East 39th Street. A man on a bicycle was seen throwing two black powdered hand grenades at the British Consulate along Third Avenue back in May 2005. No one was injured in those prior incidents and no suspect was ever caught.
Law enforcement officials said a preliminary review shows Thursday's explosion was caused by a can filled with some sort of explosive powder. Investigators are recovering evidence to see if the device is similar to the ones used in the consulate incidents.
WNBC.com will provide more details as soon as they become available.