Friday, March 7, 2008

Police Following Trail of Clues

NEW YORK (AP) -- A trail of possible clues stretched from New York to Washington after a bicycle-riding bomber struck the landmark Times Square military station, hurting no one but scarring one of the world's most recognizable locations.

Authorities were probing whether Thursday's blast was connected to mysterious letters that arrived the same day at Capitol Hill offices, and investigators were examining strikingly similar bombings at two foreign consulates in Manhattan in the last three years. Authorities also were scrutinizing surveillance video and forensic evidence.

The Times Square bomb, contained in a metal ammunition box, produced a sudden flash and billowing cloud of white smoke at about 3:40 a.m. Thursday. When the smoke cleared, there was no serious damage, nor any clear indication of a motive.

But like similar attacks in 2005 and in October 2007 on the British and Mexican consulates, the explosion frayed nerves of New Yorkers and tourists alike. It also heightened speculation that all three incidents were the work of a lone bomber who, perhaps emboldened by his past attacks, sought out the bright lights of Times Square.



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