Vietnam War veteran foils NY Times Sq. Terror plot

New York car bomb: Vietnam War veteran Duane Jackson hailed a hero after foiling Times Square terror plot


By Stephen White 3/05/2010
A street vendor was last night hailed as the unlikely hero who foiled an evil plot to blow up “the crossroads of the world”.
Vietnam War veteran Duane Jackson spotted smoke coming from a car parked in Times Square – the junction at the heart of New York’s theatreland.
The 58-year-old, who sells T-shirts and handbags, also heard noises from inside the Nissan Pathfinder, which had hazard lights flashing and its engine running.
Duane tipped off police and bomb disposal experts were called to defuse the device made from fireworks, petrol and propane gas, saving hundreds of lives.
Fire chief Sal Cassano later said the car bomb could have demolished a building and added: “This wasn’t make believe. This wasn’t a false alarm. This was the real deal - to hurt people.”
A police source said: “The death toll could have been enormous.”
Duane noticed the car, which had been parked for about 10 minutes, at 6:30pm local time (22.30 GMT) on Saturday.
He said: “That was my first thought, Who sat this car here?”
Looking in the car he saw a key in the ignition and 19 or 20 others on a ring.
Duane went on: “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. Now that I saw the propane tanks and the gasoline, what if that would have ignited?
“I’m less than 8ft away from the car. We dodged a bullet here.”
Duane alerted mounted policeman Wayne Rhatigan, who said: “I did a lap around the vehicle.
“The inside was smoking. I smelled gunpowder and knew it might blow. I thought it might blow any second.”
Officer Rhatigan called for help and also found two policewomen on patrol.
The three then warned hundreds of pedestrians away. Later the policewomen reported seeing a man running as they approached the smoking car.
Police spokesman Paul Browne said this was being investigated but added: “It looks as if the perpetrator was trying to light it up, and was interrupted by the cops, panicked and took off. It looked like someone tried to detonate it and we got it in time. This is a big deal.”
New York’s mayor Michael Bloomberg told a news conference: “We have no idea who did this or why.”
Later the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility. A statement on a website said it was to avenge the killing of two Islamists and “Muslim martyrs”.
Experts could not last night verify the claim’s authenticity.
Al-Qaeda’s Iraq leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri – also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir – and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi were killed last month.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said the two were found dead in a hole in the ground inside a house after it was surrounded and stormed by troops.
A theory being considered by detectives is that the bomb was targeted at the makers of cartoon series South Park over a depiction of the Prophet Mohammed. The dark green Nissan Pathfinder was left near the offices of Viacom, the firm which owns the show.
Last month postings on an Islamic website warned the creators of South Park – Matt Stone and Trey Parker – they could face violent reprisals after an episode featured Mohammed in a bear suit.
Police are also understood to be ­investigating similarities between the New York device and other car bombs planted by Islamic terrorists.
White supremacists also have a history of terror attacks in the US.
Times Square was closed for 10 hours during which time the Nissan, bearing Connecticut number plates, was taken away. Mayor Bloomberg added: “We are lucky. Thanks to alert New Yorkers and professional police officers, we avoided what could have been a very deadly event.”
President Obama also praised the “quick action” and “excellent work” of
the police and bomb squad, which used a robot to get into the car.

Inside the disposal team found three propane tanks in the vehicle, ordinary fireworks, two filled five-gallon petrol cans, two clocks, batteries in each of the clocks, electrical wire and other components.
A locked metal box resembling a gun locker was also removed.
The car, which had tinted windows, was later identified on surveillance cameras travelling west along 45th Street. Police were also checking CCTV cameras for images of the man seen running away.
The vehicle’s number plates were later found to be from a truck which had been scrapped. Police spoke to its owner.
Seven big Broadway shows were halted by the scare including musicals Billy Elliot and The Lion King, which is at a theatre directly behind where the car bomb was parked. Tourists rushed out of the Marriott Marquis hotel.
Businesses and restaurants including TGI Friday’s and celebrity hangout Sardi’s were also evacuated.
Katy Neubauer, 46, and Becca Saunders, 39, of Milwaukee, were shopping for souvenirs in Manhattan on Saturday, close to Times Square.
Katy said: “It was a mass of people running away from the scene.”
Becca added: “There were too many people, too many cops. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Halle Berry, Jessica Biel and Jessica Alba were among thousands of women who had earlier run through Times Square to raise money for a cancer charity. David Paterson, the Governor of New York, described the Times Square incident as an “act of terrorism”.
He commented: “Luckily, no one is hurt, and now the full attention of city, state and federal law enforcement will be turned to bringing the guilty party to justice in this act of terrorism.”

Top 50 destinations for US and Canadians include NYC-12 January, 2010

Travel search site Skyscanner (www.Skyscanner.com) says the Top 50 most searched for destinations from Canadian and the US airports include London, New York City, Paris and Dublin, all of which were among the top seven spots.


London was unanimous at No. 1.


“With two monumental world events in the same year - the 2010 Winter Olympics in February and the World Cup in June - Vancouver and Johannesburg (South Africa) have turned up on both lists, with Canada's also including Cape Town,” says PRNewswire.


Travelers from both countries are also interested in Poland, though Canadians prefer the current capital, Warsaw, while Americans want to see the former capital, Krakow.


Americans continue to be intent on getting some Caribbean sun, with even Havana sneaking into the 49th place on the US chart.


“It seems that American tourists are eagerly waiting for the border to open up again, and the sooner the better, especially with many growing tired of the extreme winter temps by now.

"Canadians are clearly enjoying the island already, with the Cuban cultural center showing up in the 27th position for them,” the site says.


Top 10 Most Searched for destinations for 2010, from US airports:

1. London, UK
2. New York City
3. Las Vegas, NV
4. Paris, France
5. Dublin, Ireland
6. Los Angeles, CA
7. Orlando, FL
8. Rome, Italy
9. Madrid, Spain
10. Miami, FL

Unprecedented drop in US hotel prices-29 September, 2009

The average price of a hotel room in the US fell 17 percent in the first six months of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. Room rates in the US now cost, on average, $115 a night, down from $139 the year before.

So says the recently released Hotels.com Hotel Price Index (HPI).

"This is by far the most significant change in prices we've seen since we created the Hotel Price Index. Americans' travel dollars have never gone farther than in 2009," said David Roche, President of hotels.com. He added:

"As properties continue to roll out discounts and other incentives to attract guests, the gap between the top star categories has narrowed, giving travelers more value and making luxury more accessible than any other time in the past five years."

The United States followed a larger global trend with room rates around the world down 17 percent in the first half of the year, according to the HPI.

The fall in room rates was driven by price drops across every continent with hotel rooms in Europe down 16 percent, rates in North America and Asia both declining 17 percent, and hotel prices in Latin America falling 18 percent.

Hotels.com's HPI revealed that Las Vegas overtook New York City as the favorite domestic destination for US travelers in the first half of 2009, with room rates in Las Vegas hotels just $82 a night on average.

Destinations rounding out the top five U.S. favorites included New York City, Orlando, Chicago hotels and San Francisco.

By David Wilkening