Explosion at Times Square recruiting station; Update: Bloomberg blasts the blast; Update: Security video released; Update: House Dems received letters, photo of recruitment center; Fox reports maybe more than 8 received letters; AP says manifesto was anti-Iraq war screed, “Happy New Year, We did it;” Newsday: At least 10 got the package
Scroll down for updates…Bloomberg weighs in: “The fact that this appears deliberately targeted at the recruiting station insults every one of our brave men and women in uniform stationed around the world.” …Politico reports that 8 Democrats in the House received letters and a photo of the targeted Times Square recruitment center…the Dems were NY representatives…Fox reports possibly more than 8 received letter; AP reports letter contained anti-Iraq war screed and gloating about the bombing, “We did it.”
Photo: Yahoo! News.
It has been happening for years–the targeting of military recruiting stations. It happened again this morning:
An explosive device caused minor damage to an empty military recruiting station in Times Square early Thursday, shaking guests in hotel rooms high above.
Police blocked off the area to investigate the explosion, which occurred at about 3:45 a.m., shattering the station’s glass entryway. No one was injured.
“If it is something that’s directed toward American troops than it’s something that’s taken very seriously and is pretty unfortunate,” said Army Capt. Charlie Jaquillard, who is the commander of Army recruiting in Manhattan.
He said no one was inside the station, where the Marines, Air Force and Navy also recruit.
Witnesses staying at a Marriott hotel four blocks away said they could feel the building shake with the blast.
“I was up on the 44th floor and I could feel it. It was a big bang,” said Darla Peck, 25, of Portland, Oregon.
“It shook the building. I thought it could have been thunder, but I looked down and there was a massive plume of smoke so I knew it was an explosion,” said Terry Leighton, 48, of London, who was staying on the 21st floor of the Marriot.
Members of the police department’s bomb squad and fire officials gathered outside the station in the early morning darkness, and police cars and yellow tape blocked drivers — most of them behind the wheels of taxicabs — from entering one of the world’s busiest crossroads. Police began allowing some traffic through around the start of rush hour.
Though subway cars passed through the Times Square station without stopping in the early hours of the investigation, normal service was soon restored, with some delays.
The recruiting station, located on a traffic island surrounded by Broadway theaters and chain restaurants, has occasionally been the site of anti-war demonstrations, ranging from silent vigils to loud rallies.
Ed’s got more. Here’s the NYT blog coverage.
Reader Laura e-mails:
Just up checking your blog and watching ABC’s GMA (a rarity for me).
Their coverage of the Times Square bombing of a military recruiting office just now (7am) barely made mention of WHAT was actually bombed. Dianne Sawyer went out of her way, it seemed to me, NOT to ask about WHAT was bombed. They went on and on about a “man on a bike” and the bomb itself (I’m a journalist and believe me, it was the worst report I’ve ever seen) but NOTHING about the target.
Their conflicted-ness was so apparent…here is a bomb, felt by people in their own studio when it went off, so they are shaken, yet only ONE reference, buried in the middle of the report to the recruiting station that was trashed. They also made an attempt, imo, to link this with the bombing of the British and Mexican consulates.
The NYPost:
The center is normally staffed by two noncommissioned officers but was empty at the time of the explosion, said Capt. Charlie Jaquillard, the commander of army recruiting operations in Manhattan.
“If it is something that is directed toward American troops, then it’s something that’s taken very seriously and is pretty unfortunate,” he said.
Members of the police department’s bomb squad and fire officials gathered outside the recruiting station, which has occasionally been the site of anti-war demonstrations, ranging from silent vigils to loud rallies.
Police cars and yellow tape initially blocked drivers from entering one of the world’s busiest crossroads, though some traffic was allowed through around the start of rush hour.
Guests at the Marriott Marquis on 46th Street said they heard a “big bang” and could feel the building shake. A large plume of smoke was also visible after the explosion, they said.
Terry Leighton, 49, from London, England, said he was on the 21st floor of the hotel when he heard the blast and looked out a window.
“I thought it could have been thunder,” he said. “I looked down and there was a massive plume of smoke. So I knew it was an explosion.”
Darla Teck, 25, was on the 44th floor of the hotel. “There was a big bang. I felt it,” she said.
***
Yesterday: Phony draft card-burning.
***
Update: NYC Mayor Bloomberg weighs in: “The fact that this appears deliberately targeted at the recruiting station insults every one of our brave men and women in uniform stationed around the world.”
Update: Bob Owens concludes, “This was an act of domestic terrorism.”
Update 2:04pm Eastern. NYPD has released security video in Times Square showing the man on the bike immediately before the explosion. A 10-speed bike has also been found in the vicinity.
Update 2:44pm Eastern. Allah’s posted the surveillance video.
Update 7:52pm Eastern. Politico reports that 8 Democrats in the House received letters and a photo of the targeted Times Square recruitment center…the Dems were NY representatives…
Fox reporting more than 8 House Democrats may have received letters and photo of the recruitment station, with an anti-Iraq war screed proclaiming, “Happy New Year, We did it.”
Capitol Hill postmaster and FBI investigating whether any Senate offices received the mailing.
More on the letter:
The Associated Press obtained a copy of an e-mail from the office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., to other lawmakers Thursday that reads:
“A few offices on the House side have received a letter today addressed to ‘Members of Congress’ with a picture of a man standing in front of the Times Square recruiting station that was bombed in New York today with the statement ‘We did it.’ He is standing in front of it with his arms spread out and he’s attached his political manifesto.”
The e-mail says the recipients were told to leave the letters alone and call police.
Update 9:39pm Eastern. Newsday has a few more details…
In an e-mail Thursday night, U.S. Capitol Police advised all members of Congress to be on the lookout for a 5 by 8 inch manila envelope with two $1 stamps on it that might contain the letter, which the e-mail said has been screened and poses no harm to the lawmakers.
The letters added a new dimension to the blast with an improvised explosive device made from army surplus materials at the recuitment station that caused minor damage but no injuries.
Aides to Long Island members of Congress said they had not gotten one of the letters taking credit for the blast.
The photo in the letter was the kind commonly sent as a holiday greeting card, showing a white man with thin graying hair in a striped flannel shirt and jeans, the Associated Press said, quoting an unnamed Democratic aide whose office received the letter. The card said: “Happy New Year. We Did It.”
Capitol Hill police, the FBI and postal inspectors are investigating the letters.
“Within the past twenty-four hours, a number of letters have begun arriving at various Congressional Offices on Capitol Hill,” the Capitol Police e-mail says. “The letters contain a reference to the military recruiting office in New York City.”
Authorities have not disclosed the content of the lengthy letters, said by sources to be between 10 and 30 pages long, that arrived in the office
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Hmmmm? I wonder what the chances are of getting some good prints off that bike they found nearby. Obviously, this person wasn’t too bright, since they bombed a building in NYC with cameras everywhere. Would that make the odds pretty good that he/she might have left prints to connect them to the bike and, possibly, to the crime, via video?
Michelle & My Fellow Washington State Friends, We (military folks) have been advised by Fort Lewis to stay away from the Tacoma Mall on the 15th. “Anticipated activities include distributing anti war and anti military literature, confront local recruiters or persons trying to enter their facilities, and attempts to interact with soldiers, family members and/or civilians who appear to be military or have DOD decals on their vehicles.”
FUN, huh? I’m sure all they’ll want to do is have an intelligent debate on the issues of war and the military. Especially since they were so good at it in the Port of Olympia. Ha!
So far, these acts have been taken against unoccupied sites at times of the night when there would be no, or little, chance of hurting anybody. The ELF does the same thing against homes and cars, so far unoccupied. It’s only a matter of time, unfortunately, until some nutcase decides that these acts aren’t garnering the attention they desire. This bomb went off at 3:45 AM; the next one could be 3:45 PM. In Times Square? That would be a bloodbath. It’s only a matter of time …
I’ve thought about this a lot. What happens when some old wino crashes in an unfinished house ELF has decided to burn. But, sigh, the left is so versatile they’ll surely find a way to blame someone else. Probably the wino since blaming the victim seems to be popular for the left.
Actually, jungatheart, the left wouldn’t blame the wino. After all, he is also just a poor, hapless victim of ruthless right-wing politics and ideals.
It’d be Boooosh’s fault.
If McCain wins this year, it’d be his fault.
I hope the nation’s foremost forensic investigator, Rosie O’Donnell, is called in.
Just saw this while at work … my favorite comment by a coworker was “it wasn’t meant to hurt anyone, it was just meant to make a statement” … American pride on display here in Chicago
Keep hammering it home. Someone ask Hillary if this bomber should eventually be pardoned like all the others (who bombed and terrorized NYC back in the 1970s and 1980s) who she supported her husband pardoning. If not, what’s the difference.
In short, what are Hillary’s standards for pardoning domestic bombers and terrorists?
TT #92:
I sure hope not. I would fear for the mental health of the poor forensic guys/gals who’d have to support her. Be scared. Be very scared.
Speaking from personal experience, I was an AF Recruiter in a big city, all Armed Forces group building during the 70’s. Our business car was blown up by a hippie with the sense of a rock. I will not give these drug-induced, communist-loving, anti-patriot hippies a moment of my time today. I know that if any of the recruiters were scared back then, they never showed it (especially the Marine contingent who were all highly decorated Vietnam vets)—and contrary to regulation, most of them were armed. Thanks, Michelle, for posting these stories for all to see. There are traitors in our midst. We must be vigilant. To you recruiters: let us know if we old Vietnam era vets need to cover your 6!
I got about 10 deep in the Kos comments before I got sick. Man those people are nuts.
Clearly it wasn’t Al Qaida, or they wouldn’t have set the bomb off in the wee hours of the morning when nobody was there. In fact, you can probably guess that it had to of been one the anti-war folk from that fact alone.
Give these idiots an inch and they’ll take a mile. Next time they try a blockade and the local gov’t won’t do anything then the feds need to be sent in.
EXACTLY my opinion, also! Failure to slap treason down is encouragement to those adhering to an agenda that says VIOLENCE is an acceptable way to make social changes. That particular agenda was ordered to be created by Joseph Stalin, published in the ’50’s, then published in the Congressional Record on January 10, 1963 — then adopted by the Dim Party as their platform!
And the Justice Dept has been fomenting ANARCHY, ever since!
They aren’t going to like it on Judgement Day when the consequences of their abuse of power to prevent Justice is held against them.
You seem to be a few decades late, thinking up THAT “future” course of action!
What if one of them sets off a fire that takes down 15 city blocks, or half the city, or something like THAT?
They should be tried for TREASON – for an act of WAR.
This is a democratic republic and they have access to the BALLOT BOXES to vote ONCE, EACH. They have the right to send petitions to the politicians and letters to the editors, and buy block time on other media.
They do NOT get to exchange the Bill of Rights for the Joseph Stalin AGENDA published in the Congressional Record in 1963.
bring a couple of korans with you so they can use them to reinforce the building if these morons figure out how to make a real bomb..
Code Pink et al are the likely suspects, but a Youth or Youth Wannabe also as a motiff, granted a Youth would more likely bomb with people there and they don’t even have to be military. For now I’m more inclined to suspect Code Pink et al.
Never fear Chertoff is still the DHS secratary, I’m sure this is his top priority………. next to the invasion.
Just heard on Fox that 8 house Democrats were mailed photos of Times Square with letters saying “We Did It”
Nice.
I’m wondering, were these mailed BEFORE or AFTER the explosion?
Inquiring minds would like to know.
Chertoff & DHS continue to be worthless.
Arming the Military personnel that work there would be a bonanza for the KOS punks and Code Pink traitors as well as the MSM.
Expect this malicious mischief to continue as long as Law Enforcement and DHS sits on their hands.
Expect some real harm next time as these thugs are obviously getting pretty bold.
So appropriate that the Dems received their letters of “we did it!” They sure did, Harry Surrender Reid, Nancy withdrawal Peelothsom and so many more of the we did it crowd. They can be proud they are such fine role models for these bent minds running around our country. Obviously the perp is a product of our “constitutionally protected” students taught by union credentialed teachers. Nothing but the best–condoms on bananas, bombs in lunch pails.
They finally did it? What they went over the edge? When there is a manifesto, most the time it turns out to be one really disturbed lone nut.
I don’t think this was the pinkers cause they are really punks.
“The letter was postmarked Feb. 28, a week before the explosion in New York, according to several Capitol Hill sources.” – Politico
Feb 28th to March 6th for the letter/pic/manifesto to arrive & be looked at by workers at the Dem offices – is that a normal time frame?
apitol Hill police, the FBI and postal inspectors are investigating the letters.
“Within the past twenty-four hours, a number of letters have begun arriving at various Congressional Offices on Capitol Hill,” the Capitol Police e-mail says. “The letters contain a reference to the military recruiting office in New York City.”
So that means some of the letters arrived yesterday. Why didn’t somebody think to turn them over to the FBI?
Oh yeah, they were sent to Dems.
From CNN.com…
ALL received by DEMOCRATS…hmmmmm….with letters blaring ‘We did it’! And the Democratic Party wonders why we continue to question their patriotism?
When you lie down with dogs, you wake up with fleas….you pandering liberal moonbats.
Well, it certainly appears that all of the anti-war rhetoric coming from the Democrats has hads its effect. It has now breached the realm of political theater and stirred their followers to action.
The party leadership needs to take a hard look at the statements made by its members, and ask themselves if they believe continuing to make outlandish accusations and continuing to echo the words of Al Qaeda is such a good idea, particularly in a time of war.
But Democrats, being Democrats, will accept no responsibility for contributing to the bombing, since being a Democrat means never having to say you’re sorry…
#108: It takes about a week for a letter or package to get through the security process. If they were mailed on Feb 28, it would fit. This timing factor may be key to unraveling this entire event. (Awaiting more information.)
Now it is being reported the letter and the bombs are NOT connected: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080307/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/times_square_blast_letters
I knew the timing was too good. But the investigation continues.
Why do liberals beat around the bush (no pun intended)? Why don’t they just swear allegiance to Osama (no, not Obama, osama) and get it over with.