"Firefighters, emergency service officers and the bomb squad responded and the bomb squad confirmed that the suspicious vehicle did indeed contain an explosive device," Bloomberg said.
Packed inside the dark green Nissan Pathfinder were three propane tanks, consumer-grade fireworks, two full five-gallon gasoline containers, two clocks, some electrical wire, and a metal gun locker.
The vehicle was abandoned with its engine on and hazard lights flashing, but police don't yet know who was driving it.
Police immediately shut down Times Square, canceled Broadway shows, evacuated the Marriott Marquis, and ushered thousands of people outside the barriers.
Police also are determining if this was a random act of terrorism or whether it was targeted.
Via The Telegraph:
Police in New York are investigating whether a car bomb in Times Square was targeted on the makers of South Park over a controversial depiction of the Prophet Muhammad.
The device, which failed to detonate, was left near the offices of Viacom, which owns the irreverent cartoon series.
Last month postings on an Islamic website warned the creators of South Park - Matt Stone and Trey Parker - that they could face violent reprisals after an episode of the show featured Muhammad in a bear suit.
Other areas they are investigating is the similarity between the explosives found at Times Square and "two car bombs planted by Islamic terrorists outside the Tiger Tiger nightclub in London in 2007."
While the bomb lacked sophistication and is being termed as "crude" by MSNBC, hundreds and perhaps thousands of people could have been seriously injured or killed.
Police found the "amateurish" but potentially powerful bomb in a smoking sport utility vehicle in the busy theater district on Saturday night, then cleared the streets of thousands of tourists so they could dismantle it.
The city owes that T-shirt vendor, a Vietnam vet, a huge thanks for being aware and willing to step up and report suspicious activity.
This is being treated as a potential terrorist attack according to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and that raises the question of what she considers "potential"?
It was meant to terrify, it was meant to explode and injure and kill innocent citizens, no matter who is behind it or whatever their reasons for it, it IS a terrorist act.
Period.
.