Times Square car bomb attempt: timeline and details
Timeline
6:28 p.m. - Security cameras capture footage of the Nissan Pathfinder entering West 45th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue.
6:30 p.m. - A T-shirt vendor notifies a mounted police officer that the Nissan is filling with smoke.
6:34 p.m. - The mounted police officer calls for resources to deal with the smoke-filled vehicle.
What police say was in the Nissan.
In the rear cargo area:
On the backseat:
Source: New York City Police Department
Key questions about the Times Square bombing attempt
Who is responsible? Officials said Sunday that they don't know. Possible suspects range from a "lone wolf" who isn't tied to any terror group to the Taliban or al-Qaida.
Have investigators ruled out any person or terrorist group? No.
Has any group claimed responsibility? Yes, news reports said the Taliban claimed responsibility. The NYPD said an individual e-mailed a news organization and also claimed responsibility. The caller wasn't related to any known terrorist organization, police said.
Do police have any relevant video? Police said they have video of a man seen entering Shubert Alley, taking off a shirt which he wore over a different one and walking away. They are interested in talking with him. A tourist from Pennsylvania also said he has video of a man leaving the area near the car. Surveillance video also captured the car as it entered the area. Cops will be reviewing more video images caught on security cameras.
Has anyone been arrested? Not as of late Sunday.
Do police know who owned the van that was packed with the explosive device? Investigators know the Pathfinder's vehicle identification number and determined it had a license plate registered to another vehicle at a repair shop in Connecticut.
Two recent attempted car bombings in which gas was used:
June 29, 2007. London police found two Mercedes sedans packed with gasoline, fuel cans and nails in the city's nightclub district after authorities responded to a report that one of the vehicles was emitting suspicious odors. The bombs were disabled before they were triggered.
June 30. Two men drive a Jeep containing gas and propane tanks into security barriers outside Glasgow Airport, igniting a fire that killed one of the men. The other man, Bilal Abdullah, a British doctor, was implicated in both the attack in Glasgow and the failed plot in London; he was convicted and sentenced to 32 years in prison for conspiracy to commit murder.
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Remembering 9/11: Where things stand now As we remember those we lost on 9/11, we're looking at the ongoing battle to secure long term protection for first responders and the latest twists and turns in the cases of the accused terrorists.
