Caught On Tape?Yesterday, the
New York Police Department released a
video of a suspect in Saturday's failed car bomb attack in
Times Square.
The video shows a balding white male, believed to be in his 40s, doffing one of at least two shirts in
Shubert Alley right outside
Junior's Restaurant and across from the
Booth Theatre, which is home to
next to normal. This is close to the West 45th Street location where a smoking Nissan Pathfinder was found at 6:38 p.m. Saturday.
Anyone with knowledge or information that can help the investigation is encouraged to call 1.800.577.TIPS.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Bomb Scare, Broadway, Terrorism, Times Square
Times Square Bomb ScareLast evening, a
dark green Nissan Pathfinder that included a crude bomb was found parked on 45th Street just to the west of Broadway in New York City's Theatre District -- adjacent to Times Square.
Those familiar with this area will know that 45th Street cuts just to the south of the Marriott Marquis Hotel (home to the Broadway show
Come Fly Away) and just to the north of the Minskoff Theatre (home to Broadway's
The Lion King).
Anyone with knowledge or information that can help the investigation is encouraged to call 1.800.577.TIPS. The car was found at approximately 6:30 p.m. as smoke emanated from it. Police reported that the vehicle contained explosives, gasoline, propane tanks and burned wires, along with a metal box.
There are many conflicting reports regarding the actual incident as well as whether Broadway shows proceeded or were cancelled (UPDATE: all shows played as scheduled last evening).
One first hand account of what transpired has been provided by L. Brandon Gloster, who had been working at
Come Fly Away Saturday evening.
Fortunately, despite displaced hotel guest and theatre patrons, no one has been reported injured. We certainly have the New York Police and Fire Departments to thank.
Even though I was in Times Square earlier Saturday, I for once was relieved last evening to be in the comfort and safety of my own home. But the cowardice shown in Times Square won't deter me from returning again soon.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post. Labels: Broadway, Terrorism, Times Square
A Real Broadway BombOvernight, a "low order explosive"
bomb was set off at
Times Square's Army recruiting station, situated on one of those triangular slivers right smack dab in the middle of Broadway's crossroads.
The blast occurred about 3:45 this morning. Fortunately, No injuries were reported. Authorities are searching for a man on a bicycle.
According to
CNN:
Police and fire squads initially cordoned off part of an area around Times Square. Later, vehicular and foot traffic resumed in the area, but the traffic island was closed to pedestrians.
Subway service to Times Square was briefly halted but resumed in time for the morning rush hour.
I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking how we're all going to be holding our collective breaths.
UPDATE (March 6, 2008, 4:17 p.m. EST): How is this for marketing spin? In the story published a short time ago on Playbill.com, there is absolutely no mention whatsoever
of a bomb or explosive device, and despite no mention of any incident on The Broadway League's official site, its Executive Director Charlotte St. Martin does take the opportunity to note in the Playbill story that:
We are glad to report that all Broadway shows are continuing on their regular schedules. And now is the perfect time to see a show, with so many offerings, and better availability due to the slower winter months.
What amazing spin! I'm practically dizzy.
Fortunately, the folks who operate the official Times Square Web site at least describe what occurred, even though the word "bomb" is studiously avoided.This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Bomb, Broadway, Terrorism, Times Square
London: The Show Must Go OnUPDATE (1:00 p.m. EDT): STEVE ON BROADWAY HAS LEARNED THAT SEVERAL PERFORMANCES HAVE BEEN CANCELED FOR THIS EVENING: Today’s 5:00 pm matinee of Mamma Mia! has now been cancelled (although the 8:30 pm performance is taking place as usual), as have the evening performances, at 7:30 pm and 8:00 pm, of The Phantom Of The Opera and The Last Confession, respectively.
Early this morning, London was spared what could have been a devastating terrorist attack when a car bomb outside a popular West End nightclub "
apparently failed to detonate."
While the car in question was at the top of Haymarket (see top map), the Theatre Royal Haymarket where I recently saw
The Lady From Dubuque is not in the
immediate vicinity. In fact, as the second map shows, it's situated a couple blocks down from the
Tiger Tiger-London nightclub.
The current occupant of Theatre Royal Haymarket is
The Last Confession. Directly across the street from that theatre is
Her Majesty's Theatre, which of course is home to the long-running
Phantom Of The Opera. According to various sources, Friday evening performances will go on as planned.
While it would appear that London's theatres were not directly targeted,
The Times provides a chilling caution for partygoers, particularly those who are female:
Terror groups like al-Qaeda are believed to have been planning attacks on nightclubs, which are considered by Islamic fundamentalists to be symbols of Western decadence. Earlier this year, a number of Islamist extremist terrorists were imprisoned for planning several major terror attacks, including a bomb attack on London's Ministry of Sound nightclub. Islamist extremists have in the past talked about particularly targeting women, whose attendance at nightclubs they say they particularly loathe. In that regard, the fact that Tiger Tiger was holding a 'ladies' night,' complete with female DJ, would have meant a particularly large number of women were inside the club.
It was nearly two years ago that
terrorists proved deadly in London. With the United Kingdom's new
Prime Minister Gordon Brown barely in office for 48 hours, could it be that terrorists were seeking to grab hold of his attention? Even in failing in their attempt, they certainly still did.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Remembrances of London’s 7/7 (July 7, 2007)
Labels: London, Special Messages, Terrorism
