The envelope also contained a packet of approximately 10 sheets of paper that seemed to be a political manifesto railing against the Iraq war and a booklet. The aide didn't know what the booklet was.
Anybody still want to claim is wasn't completely unhinged left wing crazies? [End Update]
An improvised explosive device (IED)blasted the front of the Armed Forces Career Center on the traffic island bounded by 43rd and 44th Streets, Seventh Avenue and Broadway at 3:43 a.m.
Initially traffic in Times Square had been diverted, for about two hours, while authorities made sure there were no other devices or threats to the area.
Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said the device had been placed in an ammunition box like the kind that can be bought at a military supply store. Mr. Kelly spoke with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg at a news conference at 9:30 a.m. in Times Square. The authorities are looking into a possible connection to two earlier bombings at foreign consulates in Manhattan, in 2005 and 2007. Officials said that in today’s attack, a man in a gray hooded sweatshirt was seen leaving the scene on a bicycle. Subways and traffic are running normally through Times Square.
According to police the blast blew a hole through the front door of the recruiting station and now members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the NYPD and the FBI are at the scene supporting the Police Department’s Bomb Squad, who will running the investigation into this incident.
Officials report that there was a man in a gray hooded sweatshirt seen leaving the scene on a bicycle.
One witness, Mohammed Hossain, said heard heard the explosion before 4am and, "I heard a loud noise and I turned around and saw smoke. And then the cops were everywhere, within minutes."
If the police were there within minutes, it is a tribute to their response time, which is good.
Times Square was closed down for about two hours with officials turning people away, plus they ahd cordoned off much of 41st Street, Seventh Avenue and the subway station entrances and workers that were in their buildings within the cordoned off areas were not being allowed out.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the act "insults every one of our brave men and women in uniform stationed around the world."
"Whoever the coward was that committed this disgraceful act on our city will be found and prosecuted to the full extent of the law," said Bloomberg. "We will not tolerate such attacks."
More from CNN.
John McCain was in West Palm Beach, Fla.,campaigning with Gov. Charlie Crist, when he heard of this and said "My friends, a bad thing happened in Times Square this morning, and that is some idiot tried to harm a recruiting station there in Times Square where we recruit men and women who serve in the military. We have to track down and prosecute and put in jail people that commit acts of that nature."
The Army Recruiting Command’s company commander for New York City, Capt. Charles V. Jaquillard, told repoters in a phone interview, "If it were something directed toward the individuals working at that station, then obviously it’s very unfortunate and of great concern, because there’s nothing more important to us than the safety of our troops."
Needless to say, according to the moron brigade, there is nothing to see here, just move right along...
As more news comes out, I will update.
(Hat tip Snooper.)
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