New York police defuse 'car bomb' in Times Square

New York City police have defused an improvised car bomb parked in Times Square, one of the city's busiest tourist areas, officials say.

They say propane tanks, fireworks, petrol, and a clock device were removed from a parked sports utility vehicle.

Part of the district - where many theatres are sited - was sealed off.
Both US President Barack Obama and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg praised the quick response by the New York Police Department.

"We are very lucky," Mr Bloomberg told reporters. "Thanks to alert New Yorkers and professional police officers, we avoided what could have been a very deadly event."

He said the bomb "looked amateurish" but could have exploded, adding that the incident was a "reminder of the dangers that we face".


Correspondents say the New York City Police Department is on constant alert after a series of alleged terror plots in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

"The NYPD bomb squad has rendered safe an improvised car bomb," said New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

The alert was triggered when a street vendor saw smoke coming from a Nissan Pathfinder parked on 45th Street and Seventh Avenue at about 1830 (2230 GMT) on Saturday.


The vehicle had its engine running and hazard lights flashing, officials said.
Police shut down several blocks of Times Square, as well as subway lines, while a robotic arm broke windows of the vehicle.

"There were explosive elements, including powder, gasoline, propane and some kind of electrical wires attached to a clock," police spokesman Paul Browne told reporters early on Sunday.
"No motive has been identified," he added.

Security footage is being reviewed after reports that a person was seen running away from the vehicle.
The car's plates do not match the registration, the spokesman said.


Jerry Brown, one of the tourists evacuated from the nearby Marriot Marquis hotel, told the BBC: "Guests are sitting on the street and there is considerable chaos... There is talk about moving us to another hotel but I am not sure how this is going to happen."

Most Broadway shows went ahead despite the alert.
FBI agents have joined NYPD investigators at the scene.
The White House said President Obama was being kept up to date on the investigation.

The most recent terror alert in New York City involved a plot to set off suicide bombs in the subway system.
Earlier this year an Afghan immigrant, Najibullah Zazi, and an associate, Zarein Ahmedzay, both pleaded guilty in connection with the attempt.

Last year four New Yorkers went on trial accused of plotting to bomb synagogues in the city and fire missiles at military aircraft.

iPhone blogger has computers seized by police

Police in California have seized computers belonging to the editor of a gadget blog which was involved in the purchase of an iPhone prototype.

Gizmodo had admitted it paid $5,000 to an unnamed individual for the next generation device, which was reportedly left in a bar by an Apple employee.



Editor Jason Chen published photographs and videos of the phone last week.
Gizmodo may have violated a California law covering the appropriation of stolen property for personal benefit.

The phone was lost by 27-year-old Apple software engineer Gray Powell.
Mr Chen told newswire AFP that he and his wife returned from having dinner on Friday night to find police searching their home.


"The officers had a computer and were cataloguing all the items they took from my house. They told me they were here for a few hours already and had to break the front door open because I wasn't at home," he said.
The technology blog published the search warrant documents online and said they state that the computer and other devices may have been used to commit a felony.

Apple wrote to Gizmodo last week asking it to return the prototype handset, which it complied with.
It had already published details of the next-generation iPhone, which is expected to be unveiled later this year.
According to Gizmodo, new features include a front-facing video camera and an improved camera with larger lens and a flash. It is also thinner and has improved battery life.


Critics argue that Gizmodo has committed a crime because it knowingly handled stolen goods and point out that there are clear laws about what to do with found property.

Gizmodo is owned by Gawker Media and its chief operating officer, Gaby Darbyshire, said it expected the immediate return of Mr Chen's computers and servers.

"Under both state and federal law, a search warrant may not be validly issued to confiscate the property of a journalist," she wrote in a letter to San Mateo County authorities on Saturday.

"It is abundantly clear under the law that a search warrant to remove these items was invalid. The appropriate method of obtaining such materials would be the issuance of a subpoena," said Ms. Darbyshire.


Gawker Media said the issue now throws into question whether or not bloggers are considered journalists under the law.

Advocacy group the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), which is following the case, said it found the latest events worrying for two reasons.

"You have a reporter who is disseminating newsworthy information to the public that are supposed to be protected from search and seizures. These protections apply to people who collect information in order to report it to the public regardless of what name you slap on them; blogger, journalist or whatever," Jennifer Ganick, the EFFs civil liberties director told.

The second issue the EFF is concerned about is if police officers are doing the investigative work of a private company.

"If there was some offence here it is not apparent what it is", she said.
The raids were conducted by the Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team (React), a Californian computer crime taskforce.

The taskforce was set up on 1997 to address the rising problem of computer fraud and identity theft.
It works closely with the computer industry and Apple is reported to be one of 25 tech firms to sit on the steering committee.