Times Square Recruitment Center Bombing

Early this morning, a bomb detonated in an military recruiting station in the heart of Manhattan.  No one was injured and mass transit was uninterrupted, but the explosion was powerful enough to be felt 44 stories up, four blocks away, in the Marriott Marquis.

Police are searching for a bicylcist who may have been involved.

"We're concerned and we're doing a very thorough investigation, working closely with the federal authorities," said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

He added that one witness at the scene saw a man riding a bicycle "in a suspicious manner" just before the explosion. The man was wearing a hood and dark colored clothing and had a backpack. The witness did not see the man's face, nor did the witness see the man throw anything.

What a worthless lead.

Police said it was too early to say whether the Times Square blast was related to two other minor explosions in the city in recent history.

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.

Michelle Malkin's got a round-up of additional coverage and reaction.

Update:  John McCain weighs in.

“We can’t allow this kind of thing to happen in America — a place where we’re trying to attract young men and women to serve in the military,” McCain told reporters during a news conference here. The individuals involved, he said, should be brought “to justice as quickly as possible.”

No word yet from the junior Senator "from" New York, whose husband is expected to attend a star-studded Broadway opening tonight, a stone's throw from the detonation site.

Update:  Via Allah, here's Fox-commentated video surveillance of the incident.

 

Link: sevenload.com

Update:  "We did it!"  The apparent perpetrators claim the blame via letters to their Congressmen (enclosure: raving anti-military manifesto).