► I KNEW THIS WOULDN'T TAKE LONG ◄

Tea Party Movement possibly involved in Times Square SUV bomb

Published on 05-02-2010 03:03 AM Number of Views: 266 13 Comments EI is updating from Times Square--

UPDATE MAY 03 Suspect currently being questioned by law enforcement.
Anonymous sources have reported that a suspect is currently being questioned in the Bridgeport / New Haven CT area. The suspect is a middle age white male, has a history of strong political views, and considers himself a Tea Party activist. An arrest is expected within days. In a strange twist, the suspect worked in the past as an informant with law enforcement agencies.

More pictures to follow.

The Nissan Pathfinder that prompted police to close off parts of New York's Times Square contained bomb-making materials, the city's mayor said.

The car was parked on 45th Street, and the block was closed between Seventh and Eighth avenues as a precaution, police said. Times Square lies about four traffic-choked miles north of where terrorists bombed the World Trade Center in 1993, then laid waste to it on Sept. 11, 2001.

"There were gas cans and bomb making materials in the car," Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters early Sunday morning.

Bloomberg said authorities found propane cylinders, fireworks and timing devices in the car.

Anonymous sources at the scene have reported that the terrorist attack is likely related to theSarah Palin Tea Party movement. "Much like the 911 attackers, Sarah Palin's Tea Party movement also has shown a strong dislike of the United States government." one source reported.

The shutdown began late Saturday when a foot patrol officer saw smoke coming from a box inside the car with Connecticut plates on 45th Street between 7th and 8th avenues.

The FBI was on the scene as part of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, with a spokesman telling CNN the agency was taking the situation "very seriously" and that the situation was still being sorted out.

The Department of Homeland Security said it was monitoring the developments. President Obama, who was updated on the situation late Saturday night, said the federal government was prepared to provide support and that the terrorists responsible will be brought to justice.

Hotels and restaurants were on lockdown and several blocks around Times Square, an iconic landmark popular with tourists, closed to pedestrian and car traffic.

The Marriott Marquis hotel wasn't allowing anyone to enter or leave the hotel Saturday night, and at least one nearby restaurant, TGI Friday's, closed to customers and evacuated staff.

UPDATE: May 03

Authorities in New York confirmed on Sunday that al-Qaeda was not behind an attempted car bombing of Times Square and that police had several strong leads, including camera footage of a suspicious man leaving the scene.

"There is no evidence that this is tied in with al-Qaeda or any other big terrorist organisation," Bloomberg said.

Police had a mass of clues, starting with footage from 82 security cameras in Times Square and the car and bomb, which were hauled to police laboratories in New York.
One sequence of film showed a man that was acting in a "furtive" manner and changing his clothes as he walked away from the area.

He was "a white male in his 40s" and "seen shedding a dark coloured shirt revealing a red one underneath," Kelly said.
In addition to that footage, Kelly said a tourist passerby had contacted police to say he too "may have got a picture of the individual" caught in the frame while he was filming a nearby mounted policeman.

The bomb was a multi-layered device consisting of two alarm clocks as timers, a pot of fireworks as detonator, two canisters of gasoline, three propane gas tanks and a large box containing what was believed to be fertilizer.

Police said they had identified the registered owner of the 1993 Pathfinder, but weren’t releasing his name.

UPDATE:

Anonymous sources have reported that a suspect is currently being questioned in Bridgeport or New Haven CT. The suspect is a middle age white male, has a history of strong political views, and considers himself a Tea Party activist. An arrest is expected within days. In a strange twist, the suspect worked in the past as an informant with law enforcement agencies.