**Investigators are poring over a wealth of evidence to find out who tried to detonate a car bomb in Times Square - New York’s bustling entertainment area.**The bomb, described as “amateurish”, consisted of propane tanks, fireworks, petrol and a clock device. It was planted in a sports utility vehicle.
So far, there is no evidence that it was more than a “one-off event”, the US homeland security chief said.
Janet Napolitano said it was regarded as “a potential terrorist attack”.
A Pakistani-based militant group has issued a message claiming responsibility, but that could be opportunistic and US officials will want to wait for more evidence before pointing the finger, the BBC’s security correspondent Gordon Corera says.
Early on Sunday the vehicle was towed to a forensic lab in the city’s Queens district, after police had conducted a controlled explosion to make it safe, and Times Square was reopened.
Part of the district - where many theatres are sited - had been sealed off on Saturday night after the bomb alert.
“There are forensics in terms of video or possible video that might exist. There is a lot of evidence being tracked down by a lot of people right now,” Ms Napolitano said.
Security footage is being reviewed after reports that a person had been seen running away from the vehicle.
‘Fireball planned’
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”. “We have no idea who did this or why,” he added.
Police believe the intention was to ignite a fireball.
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.
In the nick of time
Police acted on a tip-off from a street vendor - a Vietnam War veteran, who 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.
Duane Jackson, a 58-year-old handbag vendor, said he had spotted the car parked illegally and when he examined it he saw keys in the ignition with 19 or 20 keys on a ring.
He said he alerted a passing mounted police officer.
“That’s when the smoke started coming out and then we heard the little pop, pop, pop - like firecrackers going out and that’s when everybody scattered and ran back,” he told the Associated Press. “We dodged a bullet here,” he added.
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 said.
“No motive has been identified,” he added. A metal box resembling a gun locker was also recovered, police say.
Police have established that the car’s registration plates do not match up with the Nissan. They belonged to a car owner in the state of Connecticut, who told officers he had sent the plates to a junkyard.
Most Broadway shows went ahead despite the alert.
On everyone’s mind is the city’s darkest day, the 2001 attack on the Twin Towers just a few miles away, says the BBC’s Barbara Plett in New York.
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.
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