2010-05-03
My First Take on Times Square Bombing Attempt
Fireworks? Seriously. Fireworks?
I'm not sure what the detonator in this car bomb was supposed to be, but it sounds to me like the brilliant person responsible for this intended to use firecrackers. I learned when I was 12 or 13 years old mixing fireworks that firecrackers were horrible detonators. So they are now looking for a 40 year old who still hadn't figured that out.
CNN analysts are trying to say that Jihadist sympathizers were probably responsible for this because right-wing extremists don't usually aim for mass casualties. That's true, but Jihadists aren't usually this stupid.
This car bomb was made of 100 pounds of propane (probably closed cans), non-explosive fertilizer, gas, and fireworks. If it did successfully detonate, I'm not convinced it would have been much more than a large fireball, burning a few dozen people, but having little more effect than a tiny pipe bomb. I'm not sure this was intended to be a mass-casualty attack as much as a high-profile attack or event.
In fact, I wouldn't be shocked if the person responsible didn't intend for the VBIED to explode. In other words, they just wanted to create a scare and just get media attention.
Regardless, this was NOT a success for the NYPD or any other good guys. They didn't evacuate the crowd in Times Square until AFTER the bomb was detonated. Granted, the police officers are still heroes, but this was a failure. If this was a massive bomb made half-competently, there would be a crater in Times Square tonight.
If anyone thinks those responsible are part of some major Jihadist threat like the people on CNN, feel free to disagree. If I wasn't strapped for cash, I'd put money on some Islamist lone wolf. MSNBC is already blaming right-wing extremists, so you can probably bet that they're going to be wrong.
