Bomb scare

"There is no evidence that this is tied in with Al-Qaeda or any other big terrorist organization," New York mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Sunday.

Earlier, city police chief Raymond Kelly dismissed a claim of responsibility made over the Internet by the Pakistani group Tehreek-e-Taliban.

Officers evacuated Times Square late on Saturday, May 1, after seeing a vehicle that was smoking and emitted a small flash.

US President Barack Obama praised the "quick action" taken by New York police. Speaking in Louisiana on Sunday, he said US security services and New York law enforcement would do "what's necessary" to find the culprit.

The car was later identified as a failed explosive device.

"We are very lucky … (to) avoid what could have been a very deadly event," Bloomberg told reporters at an impromptu news conference at Times Square. "The bomb squad confirmed that the suspicious vehicle indeed did contain an explosive device."

Amateurish construction

The suspicious Nissan Pathfinder contained explosives, extra stocks of gasoline, propane and possibly fertilizer too. Mayor Bloomberg added that the car bomb had been constructed in an "amateurish way."

Mounted policeman spotted a box smoking in the back of the car. Shortly afterwards, Times Square was evacuated as a precaution.

Mayor Bloomberg noted that Manhattan was the primary target of the September 11, 2001 attacks as well.

"Terrorists around the world who feel threatened by the freedoms that we have in this country, and want to take those freedoms away from us, always focus on the symbol of that freedom," he said. "And that is New York City."

New York is the most populous city in the United States, with over eight million inhabitants.

msh/ng/AFP/AP/Reuters

Editor: Nigel Tandy