New York, May 2 (DPA) Police evacuated part of Times Square after finding a car bomb in the busy midtown Manhattan district Saturday night.
Officers on the scene confirmed the device was a bomb, comprising propane gas cylinders, two gas cans, wiring, batteries and fireworks.
However, it failed to detonate correctly.
Times Square is one of New York busiest thoroughfares and tourist attractions, and with tens of thousands of people usually in the vicinity on a Saturday night.
New York’s Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, said: “We are very lucky. We avoided what could have been a very deadly event.”
“The experts from the police have confirmed that this is as feared an explosive device” he added.
Officials said it was not considered to be a terrorist threat, and New York City police reportedly asked federal authorities to stand down.
The New York Times quoted an explosives’ expert saying the ignition source “failed to function the main charge”.
Kevin Barry, a former supervisor in the New York City police bomb squad, speculated that if it had functioned “it would be more of an incendiary event” than an explosion, the Times reported.
The explosive materials were discovered about 6:30 p.m. by a mounted police officer who saw a box with smoke pouring from it in the back of a Nissan Pathfinder, officials said.
There were initial reports that a man was spotted running away from the vehicle. However, New York Polic Commissioner Ray Kelly denied that.
Kelly said CCTV pictures from 6.28 p.m. local time showed a driver in the vehicle, but he could not be identified. Further examination of surveillance footage would begin, but take several hours.
The shutdown of Times Square affected both hotels and theatres on Broadway, as the police kept the square cordoned off for hours after the discovery.
A robotic bomb-disposal device was seen examining the vehicle, along with experts in blast-proof armoured suits. The car had licence plates from Connecticut, a northern neigbhouring state to New York.
