Times Sq. Bomb Letters: "We Did It"

Lawmakers Get Letters Containing Photo Of Military Recruiting Station; Security Video Shows Suspect

(CBS/AP)  Authorities are investigating letters sent to Capitol Hill offices showing pictures of a Times Square military recruiting station that was bombed early Thursday morning, causing minor damage.

CBS News has learned that several members of Congress have received an identical 20-page letter, sent by U.S. mail, which contains a picture of the recruiting station. FBI and Capitol Police are examining the letters, but the contents apparently don’t contain threats.

The federal lawmakers' offices received letters containing a photo of the Times Square military recruiting office before it was bombed and including the claim "We Did It."

The manila envelopes contained a photo of a man standing in front of the recruiting station before it was bombed. The photo was the kind commonly sent as a holiday greeting card, according to a Democratic aide who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The message on the card read "Happy New Year, We Did It."

The envelope also contained what seemed to be a political manifesto railing against the Iraq war and a booklet. A second aide said similar letters arrived in as many as 10 offices.

The man in the photo was described as thin, white with graying hair, wearing a striped flannel shirt and jeans.

The NYPD has also released footage from a private security camera showing a cyclist riding up to the recruiting station just before the bomb was detonated. After the bicyclist rides away at 3:40 a.m., a brief flash and a cloud of white smoke can be seen. The bike believed used in the crime was later found in the trash on West 38th Street.

New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said a witness, prior to the explosion, saw a man wearing a grey hoodie and a backpack riding a bicycle on the traffic island in a "suspicious" manner.

When an officer in a police substation next door to the recruitment office came out after the bombing, the witness provided a description of the man but had not seen the person's face.

The low-order explosive planted in an ammunition box went off at about 3:45 a.m., shattering the station's glass entryway. No one was injured.

No one was inside the station, where the Marines, Air Force and Navy also recruit.

Kelly described the explosive as "not a particularly sophisticated device."

Police blocked off the area to investigate. Forensic evidence collected at the scene is being sent to the FBI's laboratory in Quantico, Va.

"The fact that this appears deliberately directed at the recruiting station insults every one of our brave men and women stationed around the world," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a press conference in Times Square Thursday.

Witnesses staying at a Marriott hotel four blocks away said they could feel the building shake with the blast.

One person told CBS station WCBS-TV, "I heard this big bang. I thought it was thunder. I looked out the window, and didn't see any rain, I saw people running."

"It shook the building. I thought it could have been thunder, but I looked down and there was a massive plume of smoke so I knew it was an explosion," said Terry Leighton, 48, of London, who was staying on the 21st floor of the Marriott.

Members of the police department's bomb squad and fire officials gathered outside the station in the early morning darkness, and police cars and yellow tape blocked drivers - most of them behind the wheels of taxicabs - from entering one of the world's busiest crossroads.

The police, which have drilled for this kind of event, cordoned off the area very quickly, but have since re-opened the streets to traffic.

Though subway cars passed through the Times Square station without stopping in the early hours of the investigation, normal service was soon restored, with some delays.

Bloomberg said that New Yorkers were not intimidated by the incident. "People are going about their business: shopping, working and sightseeing. They were not intimidated.

"New York City is back and open for business," he said.

Authorities are examining surveillance videos from the area, a process which will take several hours. They are also requesting any other witnesses or people with information to call the police hotline at (800) 577-TIPS.

The recruiting station, located on a traffic island surrounded by Broadway theaters and chain restaurants, has occasionally been the site of anti-war demonstrations, ranging from silent vigils to loud rallies.

In October 2005 a group of activists who call themselves the Granny Peace Brigade rallied there against the Iraq war. Eighteen activists, most of them grandmothers with several in their 80s and 90s, were later acquitted of disorderly conduct.

The recruiting station was renovated in 1999 to better fit into the flashy ambiance of Times Square, using neon tubing to give the glass and steel office a patriotic American flag motif. For a half century, the station was the armed forces' busiest recruiting center. It has set national records for enlistment, averaging about 10,000 volunteers a year.

Police said it was too early to say if the blast may have been related to two other minor explosions in the city.

In October, two small explosive devices were tossed over a fence at the Mexican consulate, shattering three windows but causing no injuries. No threats had been made against the consulate, and no one took responsibility for the explosion, police said.

At the time, police said they were investigating whether it was connected to a similar incident at the British consulate on May 5, 2005.

In that incident, the explosions took place in the early morning hours, when Britons were going to the polls in an election that returned Prime Minister Tony Blair to power.

In both cases, the instruments were fake grenades sometimes sold as novelty items. They were packed with black power and detonated with fuses, but incapable of causing serious harm, police said.

[bobnjersey]

[I''''ve been to New York.. I know those people. And how they don''''t care about anything. How they''''ll walk by while someone''''s get''''n mugged.. or while someone''''s get''''n robbed. And not say two words. To anyone.. Thats the old Washington.]
[Posted by spacetruck9 at 03:14 AM : Mar 07, 2008]

how many times have you been there ... and where exactly did you go. i''m in the city often ... in most cases it''s mid town manhattan ... and i have never seen what you describe.

[brianbwb-2009]

"How they''''ll walk by while someone''''s get''''n mugged.. or while someone''''s get''''n robbed. And not say two words. To anyone.. Thats the old Washington." Posted by spacetruck9

We''re almost on the same page on this one, I do agree it is a sad condition, but I don''t think it is because they don''t care. Being from Detroit, I have seen people try to help, only to also be shot, or stabbed, I even know one case where a person trying to prevent the mugging of his friend was arrested and seriously beaten by the police, because the cops didn''t know what was happening, wouldn''t listen, and used a "take them all down, and let god sort ''em out" mentality. Doctors cannot touch an apparent heart attack victim in the street without risking a million dollar lawsuit if the victim dies while under his hand.

I think it is more like "can''t afford the risk of being involved", and it is a symptom of the dog eat dog mentality, and a furtherance of the "jungle law" way of life that Bush Sr. said we wouldn''t accept (just before "desert storm")...

[brianbwb-2009]

"Well, all that generals saying is be a little like Texas." Posted by spacetruck9

Which in itself is sinister, Since before Mark Twain first made jokes about them, Texans have a longstanding reputation for being the biggest liars, taking the law into their own hands, a la Roy Bean, they shoot people on only suspicion, even when it is not the business of the shooter, they make up lies to justify our own criminal acts, and Texas oilmen have the worst reputation of all, just above Texas politicians. By the way, don''t take that personally, unless you are an oilman, or politician.

No thanks, I''d rather be like Brian.

[brianbwb-2009]

"Maybe you can try "blackcentury.com" which is a niche interracial dating service." Posted by aking2002

Maybe you can take your porn spam elsewhere. Reported.

[brianbwb-2009]

Here is a new CBS story, but they on''t open it for comments, probably because they know we''ll rip this "commander'' a new one:

"Commander Warns Of Homeland Terror Threat
Domestic Military Chief Says Al Qaeda Feeling "Urgency", But Gives No Specific Evidence"

"Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, chief of the U.S. Northern Command, also told reporters Thursday that he has not seen any direct threats tied to the U.S. presidential elections."

An assumption, without evidence, and as usual Bush jumps on it and pushes it as fact.

The thing is when they find thet we''re not buying this latest set of lies, then they will pull another inside job, and point to "Al Qaeda in Rhode Island" as reason to continue Iraqi genocide.

We won''t buy it then either.

[brianbwb-2009]

"God, Mayor Bloomberg is un-fu*cking-believably annoying. He talks like a total ho m o. Just listening to his gay voice is like nails on a chalkboard," Posted by Taylor2124

For me, it is WHAT Bloomberg says that I find most objectionable, not HOW he sounds when he says it.

[taylor2124]

God, Mayor Bloomberg is un-fu*cking-believably annoying. He talks like a total ho m o. Just listening to his gay voice is like nails on a chalkboard,

[brianbwb-2009]

Posted by terrorislamd

Johnny can''t read.

Lars can read, but only reads lies that help him to advocate genocide, and can''t seem to understand anything else.

No difference between the two, except that lars is the more repugnant.

[grazinggoat]

Posted by grazinggoat at 12:59 AM : Mar 07, 2008

rightttttt touchinggoats,,,
typical muslim logic,,,,
false flag flase flag false flag,,,
they want to make us look bad,,,,
hahaha
good one
Posted by terrorislamd at 01:03 AM : Mar 07, 2008

-The Israeli Security Corporations ( a specialty of the Mossad and ShinBet intelligence ex-employees) who want to help America by jailing half the population for the other half can work as prison guards, resolving the Economic problems generated by The Israeli related jobs creators who moved the North American Lucrative Jobs abroad, altogether with the excellent management Walking-Liar Bush offered America. Need anymore of this Tardslammed? Watch your Cholesterol. If you don''t, then Walking-Liar will. From a personal point of view, I''m pretty sure you don''t abuse Bacons... You prefer the beans, with all this hotair you write over this thread!

[brianbwb-2009]

"It should be a good test of competence or lack there of." Posted by curse914

Good point, but since you addressed it to the death worshiper lars008 (a.k.a. terrorislam 6 through d) it is wasted logic, lars doesn''t hear logic, because it detracts from his advocacy of genocide.

[brianbwb-2009]

"Retired Teacher Reveals He Was Illiterate Until Age 48
http://www.10news.com/news/15274005/
detail.html" Posted by terrorislamd

Must have been your social studies teacher.

Here is a question, if his classes learned what they needed to in order to advance to the next level, (let us say for example phys. ed.) graduated went to college, and became productive members of society, then what does it matter, if he was able to retire after so many years without complaints, then obviously there was at least minimum competency.

[jb01201a]

Ok, lets hear from your real smart mind you bleeding lib !
write this "you are stupid." Posted by jb01201a

OK, you are stupid.

But I fail to see how this makes what I posted, and what you responded to with this remark any less true, perhaps you would enlighten?

[brianbwb-2009]

"write this "you are stupid." Posted by jb01201a

OK, you are stupid.

But I fail to see how this makes what I posted, and what you responded to with this remark any less true, perhaps you would enlighten?

[brianbwb-2009]

"can you say ELF,,," Posted by terrorislamd

Up to "d" now lars? My response was to JEGibbons, who posited that the swearing of an oath automatically means that a person will not use violent means to express himself.

Sure there are violent left wing radical groups, they too fit the answer, it is just that the idiot groups I mentioned are by far the most well known, and therefore the first to spring to mind, It isn''t my fault, nor do I care that they just so happen to be on your side.

[ioweign]

I never met a man I didn''''t like. Rogers, Will

Posted by terrorislamd at 12:58 AM : Mar 07, 2008

Will Rogers has some good remarks - another one I like is Mark Twain.

People born to be hanged are safe in water.
Mark Twain''s Mother

To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence.
Mark Twain

This is one of my favorites...
We have a criminal jury system which is superior to any in the world; and its efficiency is only marred by the difficulty of finding twelve men every day who don''t know anything and can''t read.
Mark Twain

[jb01201a]

well lookie here:
Then you must be a "lib", because of your own lack of knowledge of what "freedom" means. If you did know the meaning of the word, you would know that for the vast majority of Americans, this never has been a "free" country.
I proved my point !

[jb01201a]

well lookie here:
The most idiotic part is the oath itself, even the Christian bible teaches not to swear oaths, because one cannot know the future. This is why Jehovah''''s Witnesses, among others, led the fight to abolish the mandatory pledge of allegiance.

write this "you are stupid."

[brianbwb-2009]

"Libs hate America because it stands for freedom and they have absolutly no idea what that means !" Posted by jb01201a

Then you must be a "lib", because of your own lack of knowledge of what "freedom" means. If you did know the meaning of the word, you would know that for the vast majority of Americans, this never has been a "free" country.

[grazinggoat]

ummmm The man in the photo was described as thin, white with graying hair, wearing a striped flannel shirt and jeans.

sent letter to demonic-rats,,,

yep,,, sounds like the demonic-rat brown shirts in action again,,,,
Posted by terrorislamd at 12:41 AM : Mar 07, 2008

-Tardslammed, looks more like the Repukons puppets in order to stirr more sh*t in the country and impose the very patriotic Patriot project... the democrats are resisting in Senate. Bush is interested in what you eat just in case you have too many bacons in the morning with your bean. He cares for your Cholesterol... Oh yeh!

[jb01201a]

and the lib mind is like looking into stupidity at its best... need I say anymore. Never, never again, will I ever vote for another lib president. You people are schmucks and are filled with total hatred towards anything American. Oh, well, maybe the Constitution is their bible as well.