Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance, says in a statement posted Sunday on the BID's website that "Times Square and all the Broadway shows are open for business and we are not going to let this stop us from living our lives and carrying on as before. I have full faith and confidence that the NYPD will do all in their power to find who is responsible and keep us safe." The Broadway League issued a similar business-as-usual statement. The New York Daily News reported that Mayor Michael Bloomberg was planning to take NYPD Officer Wayne Rhatigan, who sprang into action after a street vendor alerted him to smoke curling from a parked SUV, to dinner at the Blue Fin restaurant in Times Square, both to thank him and to prove that the area is safe.
Napolitano told CNN Sunday that Homeland Security was "treating it as if it could be a potential terrorist attack." However, Napolitano also told ABC-TV's This Week that the bomb was not a sophisticated device and that "right now, we have no evidence other than it is a one-off."
A Taliban group in Pakistan reportedly claimed responsibility for the Saturday night incident, which would have detonated an SUV in one of the city's most crowded tourist areas. However, the same group also reportedly claimed credit for last year's mass murder at an immigration center in upstate Binghamton, NY, which turned out to be perpetrated by a laid-off Vietnamese immigrant with no ties to the group.
According to published reports, New York City police and federal agents were reviewing surveillance footage from Saturday evening that showed a white man in his 40s walking away from the area where the SUV was parked, looking over his shoulder. The New York Times reported Sunday that a police bomb squad opened a 75-lb. locker in the SUV that contained a thicket of wires, M-88 firecrackers and several bags of a granular substance that had the look and feel of fertilizer.
When the potential car bomb was discovered, the Times Square area from 43rd to 47th streets between Avenue of the Americas and Eighth Avenue was shut down. The south tower of the Marriott Marquis hotel was also evacuated. However, no Broadway shows were canceled, although some started late.
In a statement, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer says the unsuccessful car bombing "is a reminder to all of us that eight-and a half years since 9/11, New York is still a target for acts of terrorism. This morning, President Obama pledged federal assistance in the investigation into this heinous attempt at civilian violence. I am grateful to the White House for recognizing the safety of New York City as a national priority."
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.
Once you are an ALM Digital Member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
*May exclude premium content© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Paul Bubny
Paul Bubny is managing editor of Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com. He has been reporting on business since 1988 and on commercial real estate since 2007. He is based at ALM Real Estate Media Group's offices in New York City.
