• Abandoned van in Times Square prompts bomb/counterterroism units.
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[quote=New York Times]Updated, 12:58 p.m. | Police officers surrounded and began examining a suspicious-looking panel truck parked and apparently abandoned in Times Square on Wednesday morning. The truck, a 1992 Dodge with tinted windows covered by a tarpaulin, was discovered at Broadway and 42nd Street, near where the annual Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration is set to take place under heavy security provisions. Officials said the van had apparently not been moved for some days. Police barricaded 7th Avenue from 44th to 40th streets, directing all traffic towards 8th Avenue by 12:30 p.m. in precaution. A planned rehearsal for the New Year’s Eve ball drop was delayed. The van had a “bogus” placard in its windshield for a nonexistent New York/New Jersey police entity, said Paul J. Browne, the Police Department’s chief spokesman. The placard said something like, “detectives, crime scene, New York, New Jersey area,” said Mr. Browne, who said he would seek to explain what the placard said more precisely. “It’s not an actual law enforcement entity,” he said. He cautioned that the vehicle might wind up “being nothing more than an illegally parked vehicle.” Still, the abandoned vehicle worried the police enough for the Police Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau to respond, along with officers from the Bomb Squad and Emergency Service Unit. As a precaution, the Bomb Squad technicians used a robot armed with a camera to approach the vehicle, Mr. Browne said. Shortly after noon, the police directed all pedestrians to the west side of 7th Avenue and were towing cars that were parked near the van. The Times Square Alliance was supposed to test the ball drop at noon, but that was delayed. Mr. Browne said that two buildings were being at least partially evacuated. He said they are 7 Times Square, the Conde Nast building, and 1460 Broadway, the building that is home to Nasdaq. Shortly before noon, Mr. Browne said there had been “no decision on moving” the vehicle, “pending a Bomb Squad examination,” including the use of the robot. Coming a day before the New Year’s Eve celebration, the police analysis and fast response was a sort of test run for the evening of Dec. 31, when hordes of officers will flood Times Square and an array of human and technological sensors will be in place to detect any wrongdoing. Paul Cicero, an attorney, was in his office at 7 Times Square at about 11 a.m. when the police first asked everyone to move to the west side because of the suspicious vehicle. He said the police alerted the building occupants with an announcement, adding that “they’ve been giving us periodic updates saying that the police are investigating a suspicious vehicle.” “They moved us to the west side, and won’t let us out right now,” Mr. Cicero said. “They asked everybody to move from their office, anything other than the west side, to move to the west side.” He added, “I was very concerned at first. I was one of the people who tried to get out. But I guess it is what it is right now. I felt a lot better once I had some information about what was going on, even though I’d still like to get the hell out of here.” Mr. Cicero said that workers had congregated in hallways on the west side of the building and that they were “keeping the mood light.” He said the fresh memory of the attempted terrorism attack on a Detroit-bound jetliner on Friday was adding to the jitters. “I think everybody’s kind of accepted the fact that we can’t leave until they tell us,” Mr. Cicero said. “I think if it wasn’t New Year’s and it wasn’t Times Square and if everything hadn’t happened in Detroit, this would be a lot easier to swallow, but I think that’s what’s causing a lot of the concern.”[/quote] Source: [url]http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/30/abandoned-van-prompts-police-response-on-times-square/[/url] I mean, the driver of this van was obviously going to get more candy. UPDATE!: [QUOTE=Uberman77883;19302919]Anyway, it was nothing, cops entered the vehicle a few minutes ago.[/QUOTE]
Was just about to post this. Anyway, it was nothing, cops entered the vehicle a few minutes ago.
[QUOTE=Uberman77883;19302919]Was just about to post this. Anyway, it was nothing, cops entered the vehicle a few minutes ago.[/QUOTE] And all of a sudden, BOOM! Or, the guy comes back with a big bag filled with treats and gets arrested. Added your post to OP.
[img]http://potsofclay.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/candy_canes_peppermint_single.jpg[/img] HES GOT A GUN GET DOWN
Next thing you know.. BREAKING NEWS: Police find an abandoned horse standing in the middle of Times Square. TERRORIST ATTACK??! New York is getting horrifyingly paranoid if you ask me. Yes, they did get attacked by terrorists almost nine years ago, but they need to relax just a bit. Just a teeny bit.
Was it this kind of van? [img]http://campbelld.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/free-candy-van1.jpg[/img]
Party van.
[QUOTE=Pascall;19303204]Next thing you know.. BREAKING NEWS: Police find an abandoned horse standing in the middle of Times Square. TERRORIST ATTACK??! New York is getting horrifyingly paranoid if you ask me. Yes, they did get attacked by terrorists almost nine years ago, but they need to relax just a bit. Just a teeny bit.[/QUOTE] I can see where they are coming from. An unidentified van with a false ID parked illegally in Times Square before the big New Years event? Sounds suspicious, and since we have so many enemies, we have to be careful about that kind of stuff.
[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;19303574]I can see where they are coming from. An unidentified van with a false ID parked illegally in Times Square before the big New Years event? Sounds suspicious, and since we have so many enemies, we have to be careful about that kind of stuff.[/QUOTE] Tow truck.
[QUOTE=Pascall;19303589]Tow truck.[/QUOTE] Yes, lets tow a potential bomb through the streets of one of the worlds biggest cities. [editline]01:43PM[/editline] And where are you gonna go with it anyway?
[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;19303624]Yes, lets tow a potential bomb through the streets of one of the worlds biggest cities. [editline]01:43PM[/editline] And where are you gonna go with it anyway?[/QUOTE] Better than leaving it in Times Square. Obviously, if it WAS a bomb, a smart bomber would have it set for New Years Eve or somewhere around that time when tons of people are in Times Square. Usually, if it was driven there safely, it can be taken out of there safely. But they found it was nothing, didn't they? So it doesn't matter either way. But not everything is a terrorist attack. Could be a threat, yes, but that doesn't automatically mean "TERRORISTS".
But that doesn't mean just ignore it either. Especially when are enemies are well known for using car bombs.
Cause, you know, there are terrorist attacks every day in the US.
[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;19303878]But that doesn't mean just ignore it either. Especially when are enemies are well known for using car bombs.[/QUOTE] Lol. I never said that they should've ignored it. I just said that they need to quit announcing everything as terrorists. That's how you freak out the public.
Oh god where have I heard this before.... Random van with explosives in it....
[QUOTE=Kyle902;19313075]Oh god where have I heard this before.... Random van with explosives in it....[/QUOTE] iraq?
[QUOTE=Kyle902;19313075]Oh god where have I heard this before.... Random van with explosives in it....[/QUOTE] Except it had no explosives.
you know i would of laughed if it was some Dante Inferno Viral and it says "the nypd has broken <sin> and will now be going to the <number>th layer of hell"
[QUOTE=Pascall;19303760]Better than leaving it in Times Square. Obviously, if it WAS a bomb, a smart bomber would have it set for New Years Eve or somewhere around that time when tons of people are in Times Square. Usually, if it was driven there safely, it can be taken out of there safely. But they found it was nothing, didn't they? So it doesn't matter either way. But not everything is a terrorist attack. Could be a threat, yes, but that doesn't automatically mean "TERRORISTS".[/QUOTE] Ever heard of arming bombs?
[QUOTE=Pascall;19303204]Next thing you know.. BREAKING NEWS: Police find an abandoned horse standing in the middle of Times Square. TERRORIST ATTACK??! New York is getting horrifyingly paranoid if you ask me. Yes, they did get attacked by terrorists almost nine years ago, but they need to relax just a bit. Just a teeny bit.[/QUOTE] I would also be paranoid if there was a car covered by a tarpaulin in the middle of the street. They're only tring to protect their people.
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