Law enforcement officials and congressional staffers said numerous letters claiming responsibility for the Times Square explosion arrived at Capitol Hill offices Thursday. Investigators said the letters included a picture of a man standing with his arms wide apart in front of the Armed Forces Recruiting Station stating "Happy New Year, We Did It."Law enforcement officials said they do not know if the man in the picture is connected to Thursday morning's blast. They said the letter, which included a somewhat lengthy manifesto, was signed with a name. Officials stressed no suspect has been named and no one is in custody at this time.
| May we assume that's a temporary situation? |
Law enforcement and congressional sources told WNBC the letters sent to the Washington offices of several U.S. Representatives contained a photo that is now being compared to the images captured by video surveillance cameras in Times Square. One congressional staffer who saw the letter said it included a photo showing a white man who appeared to be in his 30s with red hair. The staffer said the man, whoÂ’s face was clearly visible, was standing in front of the military recruiting offices in Times Square.
The source said the letters had a Los Angeles return address. However, the staffer said it was not possible to determine if it was genuine. The staffer said a Capitol Hill policeman who came to get the letter said, "We think this is the guy."
The small bomb caused minor damage to the New York military recruiting station before dawn Thursday and police were searching for a hooded bicyclist seen on a surveillance video peddling away. The small explosion around 3:40 a.m. Thursday caused minor damage but no injuries at the station on 45th Street.
Times Square was shut down as police looked for a suspect, who was possibly riding a bicycle. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said officers have recovered a bicycle from the trash on 38th Street while searching the area. The bike was in good shape, Kelly said.
The blast appears to have been caused by a small, powdered device that shattered the glass facade of the recruiting station. Sources tell WNBC that the expolsive powder is believed to be low grade and not very sophisticated. The FBI and NYPD have launched a joint investigation into the incident and are examining evidence collected at the scene.
Law enforcement officials are looking into whether the bomber is the same person who threw explosive devices at the British and Mexican Consulates in the early morning hours in the past couple of years. In October, witnesses told police they saw a man on a bicycle throwing a small black powdered device at the Mexican Consulate in Midtown. In May 2005, a similar incident also occurred at the British Consulate building. No one was hurt in either of those two incidents.
"In 2005, 2007, dummy hand grenades were used and the explosive, black powder, was put into those grenades and that caused the explosion," Kelly said. "Here, it may be similar powder — we still have to determine that. But it was placed in an ammunition box. That was the carrier for the explosive. There was no grenade."