I was actually in Manhattan for dinner with friends at The Old Homestead on 9th and 15th and hit some very slow traffic coming through the Lincoln tunnel around 7PM, and the start of closing down the area the Pathfinder with the explosives was found in was probably the cause. Luckily it never went off and no one was hurt. Now the issue becomes whether this is a real terrorist threat or a local crime that has nothing to do with terrorists.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/nyregion...ssquare.html?hp

They better catch this bastard, good thing that T-shirt vendor told the police about the car.

thanks NYPD!!!!

I went to Times Square last night for my friend's birthday party. It was a mess. We wanted to go to Planet Hollywood but we couldn't get through because they had the blocks closed off. We ended up going to Hard Rock Cafe. Everyone wanted to know what happen. There were so many people waiting for the streets to open up.

Pakistani Taliban Claims Responsibility



Times Square Bomb Plot Revenge Group Says
Updated: Sunday, 02 May 2010, 2:32 PM EDT
Published : Sunday, 02 May 2010, 2:32 PM EDT

ADRIAN CARRASQUILLO
MYFOXNY.COM
MYFOXNY.COM - Fox 5 reports that the Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for the bomb plot.

According to Fox News, in a 1 minute video allegedly released by the Pakistani Taliban, the group says the attack is revenge for the death of its leader Baitullah Mehsud and the recent killings of the top leaders of al-Qaida in Iraq.

Images of the slain militants are shown as an unidentified voice recites the message. English subtitles are at the bottom of the screen.

The investigation into the Times Square bomb plot is ongoing. Mayor Bloomberg called the improvised device "amateurish".

According to the New York Times, a 911 call on Sunday morning warned that the bomb plot was merely a diversion for a much bigger explosion that is set to happen at Times Square.
More information on these developments throughout Sunday.

I tend to doubt it. They take claim for anything.

One thing for sure. This was close to a major disaster. We got lucky and thoe two street vendors and the police officer are real heroes.

Yes they are heroes,but only because the thing malfunctioned.The SUV was filling with smoke because the bomb did not fire correctly.The bomb was probably suppose to go off before the vendor noticed it,just lucky it malfunctioned!!!!

It still probably would have eventually gone off. I think they did as good as they could have with this. But it goes to show you can NEVER let your guard down.

Suspect arrested.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_times_square_car_bomb

Turns out Fred, that experts now say the bomb was seconds away from detonating. All of these guys, vendors, police & firefighters are monumental heroes.

This Obama policy of turn the other cheek and apologize for our behavior stupidity has to end. Wasn't it the towers and the pentagon that were bombed without provication (and isn't it amazing that an attack of that proportion is viewed by Holder and Obama as criminal rather than an attack of war). We're apologiing for that?? It's getting us nowhere and portraying us as weak and the weaker we look the more agressive the radical Muslims will be. This guy had a family and put the absurd radical muslim cause ahead of everything. There's a reason we need the patriot act in force. Again all the signs were there. You had a guy become a citizen, has a wife and two young children and he's flying back and forth to Pakistan. That alone was a signal smetjing was really wrong. Obama's silly naievety about terrorism has to end.

Someone in Government please wake up about allocations of monies to protect US towns. We d'ont need the money in Columbus Ohio. It's obvious as hell that the intent to attack is in areas that get the most news and attention with NY and Washington at the head of the list.

Wwell, said Ice. Think if this thing went off in one of the tunnels in rush hour.

Couldn't agree more, Ice. I don't understand why some people think all terrorism will end if we try to be "nice" to them (whatever that means) or understand their perspective. Killing innocent civilians is an irrational act. How do you reason with those who are decidedly unreasonable? It doesn't equate.

They are definatly heroes,never said they weren't.I just thought the bomb malfunctioned and was suppose to go off before they noticed it.

I couldn't agree more with you on your statement.

Let's not forget Obama's Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano and White House puppet Chuck Schumer saying this was a one-off or a "lone wolf". Doesn't exactly breed confidence in our national defense.

My Aunt saw in the Staten Island Advance that he was also going to target the Staten Island Ferry

I read in a Press release from PD Commissioner Kelly; Faisal Shahzad may actually have been on the "No Fly List" and thanks to the quick thinking of JFK personnel he was apprehended on the plane.

The problem is, is that there is still NO COMMUNICATION BETWEEN AGENCIES. That was the problem before 9/11 and that is still the problem. Just like how in the world did that Nigerian terrorist board a plane? NO COMMUNICATION.

http://wcbstv.com/local/car.bomb.suv.2.1670823.html

How could Bloomberg speculate so irresponsibly???

"Bloomberg later told CBS Evening News Anchor Katie Couric that the suspect behind the bombing attempt could be a domestic terrorist angry at the government who acted alone.

"If I had to guess 25 cents, this would be exactly that. Homegrown, or maybe a mentally deranged person, or somebody with a political agenda that doesn't like the health care bill or something. It could be anything," he said."

Although it's probably not the case, I hope Bloomberg and all these other officials who made similar comments were just saying that to the press to make it only seem like they were on the wrong track as the investigation was progressing.

But why glibly single out, "...with a political agenda that doesn't like the health care bill..."

probably cause we are so stupidly p.c. that he can't say "its most likely another muslim freak, just, just like the rest of attacks".

Terribly irresponsible comment on his part. Keep your f-ing mouth shut until you know the facts. Enough speculation and accusation. I'm tired of people who dare to speak out against the government being labeled as potential terrorists. Isn't it our duty as citizens of a democracy to question authority?

another give away..the guy left his family for 8 mths to go to pakistan. they should have been watching his every move.

He was being watched in the past but they stopped. I certainly hope the relaxtion of things under Obama has not let loose more guys like him. One real sickening thing is that Congress continues to allow anyone on a watch list, Muslim or an American radical like McVeigh, to legally buy guns and explosives. The gun lobby is that strong. It is just plain unbelievable to me that we would allow Muslims on terrorist watch lists to buy explosives legally. It's beyond words how stupid our congress is to allow such a thing.

And also how do Obama and Holder treat this guy now - like any other criminal?? Are we going to go through that nonsense all over again. Do they even begin to understand that unlike most criminals, who murder one person or limited people out of jealousy or in attempts to steal something, we have a guy here who's intention is to murder as many people as he can for a cause that is a worldwide effort to bring war and terror on the US. They d'ont understand that such actions like that, and in the name of God no less, is unlike any criminal we've ever had, including the Al Capone's of the world. And the reason why is simple, their intent is not to commit a crime, it's to commit an act of war, and as such we shouldn't and have no need to burden our judicial system. There should be no rules to dealing with people like this and the last thing in the world they should get is protection of the criminal justice system. Also he has already confessed to the crime. Do we still need to even waste time and money trying him in court.

You know that is how they will treat him...especially since he is a U.S. citizen.

Not in agreement with you. Wasn't that what McVeigh was and wasn't this a similar device? I also think you took the comment the wrong way and didn't read in the political connection. It doesn't take much of an eye to see that Bloomberg is disgusted with Obama and may well take any avenue he gets to show it. Obama has cut money to the city that is the most likely to be attacked (and has a heck of a track record to prove it) while increasing money to towns that w'ont get attacked in a million years. This is more of that much needed Obama surgery, I guess. Obama is constantly changing his mind about the Government terrorist trial based on the last person he talked to. Six months ago he agreed with Bloomberg about the impossiblility of holding the trial in NYC becuse it would put lower Manhattan on lockdown for many years. Two weeks after that he talked to Holder and did an about face. You can only imagine Bloomberg's internal reaction to that stupidity.

There needs to be balance. How do you protect the citizens of this nation in a very troubling and nuclear age, while not turning into the very things we are against? I don't have easy answers but there has to be a measured and tempered approach that's somewhere between recognizng that the danger is real, versus being led to someone's or some group's personal agenda and unchecked powers based on the rationalization that everything is in the interest of national defense.

The problem Robbbs is that one little mistake and thousands or tens of thousands could die horrifically and permanent damage can be done to a major city. Any easement on national defense against radical Islam increases the success potential of the latter. I'd make a simple differentiation of events if I were Obama. Anything that is systematically repetitive in intent, such as radical Islam plans or attacks, is a national attack of war and should be treated as such. The fact that it is repetitive indicates it's nature and consolidated source - a hatred against the US and an intent to bring us down by killing as many as possible. In this situation forget Miranda rights (it strikes me as insane to tell a captured radical Muslim he has the right to remain silent) and ordinary criminal protective legal rights. One off crimes such as McVeigh's bombing and others are isolated criminal events, albeit much more extreme. I know Dems are saying Miranda didn't impact here, but that's because the guy waived it and in all honesty he seems weak and ill prepared. Reading Miranda to a stronger radical Muslim will have a totally different outcome.

I was around the area too Saturday night. Most people were just there waiting and the police kept backing up the crowd.

Many people were also were wondering what was going on with their broadway shows.

Can't say I disagree with your comments. BTW, I've talked to several people I know in senior positions in the fbi and the real mystery they tell me is how something hasn't happened since 9/11, especially the low tech type of incident. Intelligence, regardless of how good, or positioning a cop with a german shepard on every corner cannot prevent someone who is on a suicide mission intent on taking lives and causing havoc. It's a scary thought.

It hasn't been for lack of effort, though. The shoe bomber in 2001, the Christmas day attempt this year, the Times Square incident last week. We have averted disaster more than a few times, and that's only what we know of. You're absolutely right, though. You can't protect all locations all the time. It's just not realistic. Like you, I really worry about soft targets, such as malls, buses, subways, etc...places where you don't have to go through a bunch of security checkpoints to be granted admittance.

Actually devils, it is easy to forget how many attempts there have been. Here is just one list I found, there are other lists on the internet.

http://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/2009/0...warted-by-bush/

There has not been another attack on this country since 9/11 – and do not think this was due to a lack of effort on the part of the terrorists. In fact there have been many attempts.


· December 2001, the first post – 9/11 plot was thwarted

· Captured an al Qaeda operative named Ali Salih al-Mari in the United States who we believe was targeting water reservoirs, the New York Stock Exchange, and United States military academies.

· Al-Mari offered himself as a martyr to Khalid Sheikh Mohammad (the mastermind of 9/11) who sent him to the U.S. after he received training in poisons at an al Qaeda camp.

· May 2002, Jose Padilla ‘Dirty Bomb’ Plot

· American citizen accused of seeking radioactive-laced “dirty bomb” to use in an attack against America.

· Padilla was convicted of conspiracy in August, 2007

· 2002 Aviation Plots

· Al Qaeda leader in Southeast Asia known as Hambali recruited Jemaah Islamiyah of Asian origin (less conspicuous)

· Plot derailed in early 2002 with international cooperation.

· Library tower is the tallest building west of the Mississippi (1,018’)

· Among the 25 tallest buildings in the world.

· September 2002, Lackawanna Six

· FBI Thwarted the locally recruited terrorist cell the “Lackawanna 6” by the capture of Juma al-Dosari in Afghanistan and subsequent interrogation while imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

· Six American citizens of Yemeni origin convicted of supporting Al Qaeda after attending jihadist camp in Pakistan.

· Five of six were from Lackawanna, N.Y.

· Summer/Fall 2001: FBI agents in New York receive anonymous tips from Yemeni-American community in New York that a local group of men is conspiring and training with Al Qaeda to commit acts of terrorism against the U.S.

· Several implicated men are put on the FBI terrorist watch list and detained upon return from Pakistan.

· Al Dosari is captured in Afghanistan in November 2001 and subsequently reveals the greater plot in New York to recruit.

· “Lackawanna 6” were arrested and convicted of supporting Al Qaeda and plotting terrorist acts.

· May 2003, Brooklyn Bridge Plot

· American citizen Iyman Faris was charged with plotting to use blowtorches to collapse the Brooklyn Bridge.

· After being introduced to Al Qaeda operatives, NY & federal authorities intercepted a plan to collapse the Brooklyn Bridge by cutting suspension cables as well as potentially derailing a train en route to Washington, D.C.

· Faris was arrested by the FBI after they intercepted a phone call to Al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan

· Faris was offered and accepted a deal to work as a double-agent for the U.S., helping the FBI with their anti-terrorist intelligence collection.

· June 2003, Virginia Jihad Network

· 11 men from Alexandria, VA, trained for jihad against American soldiers, convicted of violating the Neutrality Act, conspiracy.

· 11 Muslim men were charged in U.S. District Court in Alexandria with training with and fighting for Lashkar-i-Taiba (a group fighting the Indian government that the U.S. government considers a terrorist organization.

· Several members of the group were found to have trained for future attacks by using paintball facilities in the Northern Virginia area.

· August 2004, Financial Centers Plot

· Dhiren Barot Indian-born leader of terror cell plotted bombings on financial centers.

· Barot plotted a “memorable black day of terror” via a dirty bomb that targeted financial institutions in NY, D.C. and Newark.

· Barot was arrested at his home in Pakistan with the cooperation and help of U.S. and U.K. anti-terror authorities.

August 2004, Penn Station Plot

· James Elshafay and Shahawar Matin Siraj sought to plant a bomb at New York’s Penn Station near Madison Square Garden during the Republican National Convention.

· The New York City Police Departments Intelligence Division helped to conduct an investigation leading to the arrests.

· An undercover agent infiltrated the group, provided information to authorities, and later testi fied against Elshafay and Siraj.

· August 2004, Pakistani Diplomat Assasination Plot

· Two leaders of an Albany, New York, mosque Yassin Aref and Mohammed Hossain, were charged with plotting to purchase a shoulder-fired grenade launcher to assassinate a Pakistani diplomat.

· An investigation by the FBI, the Trea sury Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and the local police contributed to the arrest.

· With the help of an informant, the FBI was able to set up a sting that lured Mohammed Hos sain into a fake terrorist conspiracy. Hossain brought Yassin Araf, a Kurdish refugee, as a wit­ness. The informant offered details of a fake terror ist plot, claiming that he needed the missiles to murder a Pakistani diplomat in New York City. Both agreed to help.

· June 2005, Father and son Terror Camp Plot

· In California, Pakistani immigrants Umer Hayat and Hamid Hayat, father and son, were arrested in June 2005 after allegedly lying to the FBI about the son’s attendance at an Islamic terrorist training camp in Pakistan.

· Umer and Hamid Hayat were charged with attending terrorist camp training in Pakistan and later found guilty of sup porting terrorism and customs violations.

· The son, Hamid Hayat, was sentenced to 24 years for supporting terrorism while the father, Umer Hayat, was convicted of customs violations including an attempt to carry $28,000 into Pakistan.

· August 2005, Orange County, California, Terror Plot

· In August 2005, Kevin James, Levar Haley Washington, Gregory Vernon Patterson and Hammad Riaz Samana were arrested in Los Angeles, California, and charged with conspiring to attack Los Angeles National Guard facilities, syna gogues, and other targets in the Orange County area.

· Kevin James allegedly founded a radical Islamic prison group and converted Levar Wash ington and others to the group, which was known as J.I.S., short for Jamiyyat Ul-Islam Is-Saheeh

· The J.I.S. allegedly planned to finance their operations by robbing gas stations.

· After Washington and Patter son were arrested for robberies, police and federal agents began a terrorist investigation when a search of Washington’s apartment revealed a suspicious target list.

· December 2005, Gas Lines Plot

· Michael C. Reynolds was arrested by the FBI in December 2005 and charged with being involved in a plot to blow up a Wyoming natural gas refinery; the Transcontinental Pipeline, a natural-gas pipeline stretching from the Gulf Coast to New York and New Jersey; and a New Jersey Standard Oil refinery.

· He was arrested trying to pick up the $40,000 owed him for planning the attack.

· His purported contact, Shan nen Rossmiller, was a Montana judge who was working with the FBI.

· The FBI later found explo sives in a locker in his home town, Wilkes-Barre, PA.

· Reynolds claimed that he was working as a private citizen to find terrorists.

· Reynolds was convicted of providing material support to terrorists, soliciting a crime of violence, unlawful distribution of explosives, and unlawful possession of a hand grenade and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

· February 2006, Iraq Bomb Building Plot

· In Toledo, Ohio, Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Mar wan Othman El-Hindi, and Wassim Mazloum were arrested in February 2006 for “conspiring to kill or injure people in the Middle East” and providing material support to terrorist organizations.

· They allegedly intended to build bombs to be used in Iraq.

· The investigation was begun through the help of an informant who was approached to help train the group.

· April 2006, U.S. Capitol & World Bank Plot

· Syed Haris Ahmed and Ehsanul Islam Sadequee from Atlanta, Georgia, were accused of conspiracy, having discussed terrorist targets with alleged ter rorist organizations.

· They allegedly met with Islamic extremists and received training and in struction in how to gather videotape surveillance of potential targets in Washington area.

· They videotaped places such as the U.S. Capitol and the World Bank headquarters as potential targets and sent the videos to a London extremist group.

· They were indicted for providing material support to terrorist organizations and have pled not guilty.

· June 2006, Sears Tower Plot

· Narseal Batiste, Patrick Abraham, Stanley Grant Phanor , Naudimar Herrera, Burson Augustin, Lyglenson Lemorin, and Rotschild Augstine were arrested in Miami and Atlanta in June 2006 for allegedly being in the early stages of a plot to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago, as well as the FBI offices and other buildings.

· The arrests resulted from an investigation involving an FBI informant. It is alleged that Narsearl Batiste was the leader of the group and first suggested attacking the Sears Tower in December 2005.

· July 2006, New York City Train Tunell Plot

· Eight suspects, including Assem Hammoud, an al-Qaeda loyalist living in Lebanon, were arrested for plotting to bomb New York City train tunnels.

· Conducting on-line surveillance of chat rooms, the FBI discovered a plot to attack underground transit links with New Jersey.

· Ham moud was a self-proclaimed operative for al-Qaeda and admitted to the plot. He is currently in cus tody in Lebanon, and his case is pending. Two other suspects are in custody in other locations, and investigators continue to hunt down the other five suspects.

· August 2006, Liquid Explosives Plot

· Planned to blow up as many as 12 U.S.-bound passenger jets using liquid explosives hidden in carryon luggage.

· U.S./British authorities had the group under surveillance for many months.

· Many of the suspects were British citizens of Pakistani origin.

· March 2007, Skyscraper Plot

· Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, mastermind of Sept. 11 and author of numerous plots confessed in court in March 2007 to planning to destroy skyscrapers in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

· Mohammed also plotted to assassinate Pope John Paul II and former President Bill Clinton.

· May 2007, Fort Dix Plot

· Result of a 16 month investigation by Justice Dept and FBI .

· Tipped off by an alert citizen (a video processing worker) .

· Suspects had taken an incriminating video to the store to be transferred to DVD.

· Video showed calls for jihad and radical and violent ranting in Arabic, included images of the men firing assault weapons.

· “The Ft. Dix Six” thought to be a leaderless, homegrown cell of immigrants from Jordan, Turkey and Yugoslavia (not believed to be tied to Al Qaeda).

· All six suspects were convicted in December 2008.

· June 2007, JFK Plot

· Suspects planned to hit fuel farms and a 40-mile aviation fuel supply pipeline.

· Specifically, they targeted the symbolism of JFK, seeking to invoke an emotional reaction saying “It’s like killing the man twice.”

· Suspects were tied to extremists groups in South America and Caribbean, specifically Guyana and Trinidad .

· One suspect was a former airport cargo worker.

· September 2007, Americans Terrorists in Germany

· German authorities disrupted a terrorist cell that was planning attacks on military installations and facilities used by Americans in Germany.

· The Germans arrested three suspected members of the Islamic Jihad Union, a group that has links to Al Qaeda and supports Al Qaeda’s global jihadist agenda.

· 29 Jun 2007, London’s West End Car Bombs

· Heightened public awareness and quick police action prevented detonations of two Mercedes car bombs in two separate locations.

· One in the Theater District and one outside a popular nightclub with up to two thousand people in vicinity.

· Vehicles were loaded with gallons of gasoline and canisters of propane surrounded by boxes of nails for added lethality.

· Eight suspects were detained, six of whom were doctors or training to be doctors, two of them expressed interest in training in the U.S.

· Suspects included an Iraqi doctor (Bilal Abdullah) and a husband, wife and three family members of the same Indian Muslim family.

The bottom line is, because of President Bush there has not been another successful attack on this country since 9/11. What this administration has accomplished in the last 5 years is phenomenal.

Read it all.
Here is another partial list of Muslims in the United States who have been arrested and/or convicted for either planning or acting out “jihad” – the list is 180 strong…and growing

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/05/05/...k-tsa-security/

Some interesting thoughts and questions.

Mind-boggling list. You're right; I did forget about a lot of those individual attempts. As bad as 9/11 was, it's scary to think how much more carnage there could have been if even a fraction of those attempts had been successful. That's why this is such a tough fight; we have to be right every time. The terrorists only have to be right once to achieve their objective.

And with a list like that our government is putting its head in the sand and is afraid of saying the term "radical Islamic terriorist" because it might offend these people??

So true Devils.

It's the low tech threat that is nearly impossible to stop. If a group wants to damage the economy, try a coordinated incident, even "minor", in several malls and then see how many people stay away after. It's a dangerous world. I think most people on this board who know me by now, realize that I'm mostly liberal on political issues. However, protecting its citizens is government's first responsibility and the threats out there are real.

Robbs, a few I have spoken to says there have been several that have been broken up that the public wasnt (and wont for certain reasons) hear about

And two weeks after a car bomb almost went off in NYC the White House slashes homeland security money to NYC by 25-30%. As stupid as this makes Obama look can you imagine how more awful he'd look if that bomb had gone off. Totally senseless. I've seen enough of Obama's promised surgery that he said he'd perform when he ran for office. It's as awful as it can get. And to think that this is a man who is seriously thinking of holding a terroist trial here! I mean the whole thought of what is going on here is absurd. But hey, Minot ND probably gets an increase in money to protect them from the one in a million chance they have of being attacked

yea agree, i know we have the local bias, but slash anywhere but nyc!!!! their heads are so far up their azz they can count their heart beats. absurd is puting it VERY kindly.

Complete and utter incompetence. How many times does NYC need to be targeted before these fools get it? Or do they just not care?

I bet you can probably tie at least some of it back to the healthcare vote. In order to get the votes to put it through, I'm sure Obama and his team promised to divert other money to the holdout's states/districts.

Not a bad point; I hadn't thought of that before but it makes sense. Another example of politics getting in the way of common sense and doing what's right.