Foiled Plot Was at Least 11th Since 9/11

Bomb Was Crude but Lethal
By SEAN GARDINER And SUMATHI REDDY
WSJ

A plot to blow up Times Square over the weekend appears less sophisticated than others that authorities have thwarted since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Between then and now, there have been at least 10 such attempts to bomb New York City institutions, from landmarks such as the Brooklyn Bridge to a lesser-known synagogue in the Bronx. All have been foiled with the help of informants and inside cooperators.

Crude and cobbled though it may have been, the 11th came closer than the others. A suspect got as far as leaving a bomb smoking in the back of an unattended Nissan Pathfinder and street vendors alerted police. Police have said they are looking for a suspect who is a white man in his 40s.

Streets in Times Square will open as normal Monday, while police say they plan to increase uniformed patrols to make New Yorkers and tourists feel safer. Some companies with offices in midtown said they would add security Monday.

(More here.)