Reporting from New York and Washington — Police and
It was not immediately known how long the man had been in the U.S., or whether he was an immigrant or a citizen.
Pakistani sought in N.Y. bomb case
Investigators say the quantity of explosives suggests the man, who lived in the U.S., had at least one helper.
The amount of explosive material inside the SUV left in Times Square on Saturday — which included about 100 pounds of fertilizer as well as a large metal gun box, firecrackers, cans of gasoline and three propane tanks — suggested that it took two people to prepare it, especially in secret, the official said.
However, the official, who declined to be identified because he said the investigation was sensitive and moving fast, described the work as "done with little sophistication." He also noted that if the assailants were trained by a Middle Eastern terrorist group, it likely "would have been a suicide bombing."
Attention turned to the man after the vehicle's previous owner recalled selling it to someone who was either Arabic or Latino.
The Associated Press reported that the buyer was a man of
The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for the incident, but Obama administration officials, including Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. and Homeland Security Secretary
"No leads are being discarded," Napolitano said, but added, "This is an open investigation that really is in its beginning stages."
Holder resisted labeling the attempt a "terrorist incident," even though he said there could have been a "substantial loss of life" if the bomb had gone off. "We have some good leads," he said.
Law enforcement officials say they don't know if the person was an amateur or a seasoned terrorist whose bomb simply malfunctioned. Earlier Monday, police were seeking information on a slim, balding man captured on a surveillance camera as he walked away from the scene in what Police Commissioner
Although the video was aired throughout Monday, nobody had come forward to identify the man.
Kelly and the FBI refused to comment on reports that the SUV had been sold about three weeks ago on
"We have spoken to the owner of record, and the owner of record is not a suspect," he said.
Kelly has said the car bomb, made of easily purchased items, including alarm clocks and gasoline, could have sent a "significant fireball" hurtling through one of the world's busiest tourist spots. Holder said that whoever was responsible "intended to spread terror across New York."
The incident, coming months after a foiled plot by Afghan immigrants to blow up New York subways, underscored the vulnerability of heavily policed Times Square, which since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has been under close watch by police and scores of surveillance cameras.
But Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said bystanders' attention and the reaction of police showed the ability of the city to respond to threats, and that the bustling crowds in Times Square showed the city's resilience. "It's a sick and despicable act, but New Yorkers are going about their normal activities," Bloomberg said.
The city returned to work Monday, seemingly unfazed by the idea that a bomber remained on the loose.
Construction workers Danny Pugliese, 35, and Bobby Marshall, 39, had plunked down their lunch at a table in front of the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue. They said they hadn't thought much about the incident over the weekend. Marshall and his family had driven from
"If anything, the economy was more of a topic," Pugliese said. They had talked Monday about the potential of a car bombing in the city, but only briefly. Both electrical workers who specialize in elevators, they had vivid memories of Sept. 11.
"Before
It was, in fact, two street vendors who first noticed the suspicious SUV and alerted police.
Marshall said it showed that the city's post-Sept. 11 campaign that urges people to say something if they see something suspicious had worked.
FEATURED
MORE:
Advertisement
