Police in New York are investigating whether a car bomb in Times Square was targeted at the makers of South Park, the animated television series, because of a controversial depiction of the Prophet Mohammed.
Photograph by: File Photo, The Ottawa Citizen
Police in New York are investigating whether a car bomb in Times Square was targeted at the makers of the animated television series South Park because of a controversial depiction of the Prophet Muhammad.

The device, which failed to detonate, was left near the offices of Viacom, which broadcasts the provocative cartoon on its Comedy Central network. Last month, a posting on the U.S.-based Revolution Muslim website warned the creators of South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, that they could face violent reprisals after an episode featured Muhammad in a bear suit.

Detectives were understood to be investigating similarities between the New York bomb and two car bombs planted by Islamic terrorists outside the Tiger Tiger nightclub in London in 2007.

In both cases, the devices comprised propane cylinders and cans full of gas intended to be ignited by electronic detonators.

A possible link to the attack in London emerged Sunday night after the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the bomb in a posting on an Islamist website.

It said the intention had been to avenge the deaths of two “Muslim martyrs” named as Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Masri, who were killed by U.S. forces in Iraq 12 days ago. The two al-Qaeda operatives were thought to have inspired the Tiger Tiger bombings and to have met Bilal Abdulla, the doctor convicted of the London attack.

However, the Pakistani Taliban have falsely claimed responsibility for attacks previously and U.S. security analysts said it was too early to say whether the claim was genuine.

Investigators have found no sign that a failed car bomb found in New York was linked to al-Qaeda or any other big militant group, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Sunday.

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

New York police said Sunday they were hunting a man filmed leaving the scene of the attempted car bombing as President Barack Obama vowed to track the perpetrators down.

The bomb was found inside a dark green Nissan Pathfinder, left with its engine running and hazard lights flashing near the junction of 45th Street and Broadway, metres from the Viacom building.

The police were alerted by a T-shirt vendor, a Vietnam veteran, who noticed smoke coming out of the car.

It was Broadway’s busiest night of the week and the area was evacuated of thousands of tourists.

Bomb disposal experts used a robot to break the windows of the vehicle and remove explosive material.

The car contained three propane tanks, fireworks, two five-gallon gas cans, two clocks with batteries, electrical wires and a large metal box.

“It appeared that it was in the process of detonating, but malfunctioned,” said Paul Browne, a New York police spokesman.

Ray Kelly, the New York police commissioner, said: “I think the intent was to cause a significant ball of fire.”

The T-shirt vendor who raised the alarm declined to give his name, but when asked what he had to say to New Yorkers, he said: “See something, say something.”

Bloomberg returned immediately to the city from a White House dinner. Speaking at the scene, he said the wiring of the bomb “looked amateurish” and it contained “consumer grade fireworks” that were easily obtainable.

Sal Cassano, New York’s fire commissioner, said the device had the explosive potential to “take down the front of a building.”

“This wasn’t a false alarm,” he said. “This was the real deal — to hurt people.”

Police established that the car’s licence plates, which were from Connecticut, were not the ones registered to it. They have already spoken to the owner of the plates, who said he had taken them to a scrapyard.

The FBI is investigating an emergency call made from a payphone a few blocks from Times Square at 4 a.m. Saturday in which the anonymous caller said the incident was merely a diversion and would be followed by a “massive explosion” at an unspecified location.

Bloomberg said it was too early to speculate on the motives of the bomber. “There’s no evidence it was tied to Viacom or anything else.”

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