‘Failed’ car bomb found in Times Square

At the risk of stating the obvious, this is extremely bad news that is going to cause many personnel at law enforcement agencies to lose a lot of sleep. Police and firefighters found what appears to be a car bomb near Times Square. It appears the bomb was in the process of being detonated, but failed. From The New York Times:

A suspicious vehicle in the heart of Times Square led the police to clear thousands of tourists and theatergoers from the area on a warm and busy Saturday evening.

There was no explosion.

Police officials said a witness reported a running Nissan Pathfinder with Connecticut plates, with smoke coming out of the back. A bomb squad robot popped the back latch of the Pathfinder, and officers found what they initially believed was a bomb. The vehicle was found to contain explosives, gasoline, propane and burned wires, a Fire Department officer told Reuters.

The officer, who did not give his name because he was not authorized to speak to the news media, said that a man was seen fleeing the S.U.V. and that the police evacuated the area in case there were other threats nearby.

The officer said that the police were treating the vehicle as a “failed device.” The police were searching for a suspect.

No word at this time on who may have planted the car bomb.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

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