'We Did It,' Notes Claim After Bomb HitsTimesSquare

Authorities in Washington are investigating rambling letters and photographs mailed to several members of Congress that refer to a military recruiting station that was bombed by a hooded person riding a bicycle in New York City early Thursday, congressional officials said.

The letters contained a photo of the Times Square military recruiting office before it was bombed with the claim, "We Did It."

The manila envelopes contained a photo of a man standing in front of the recruiting station. The photo was the kind commonly sent as a holiday greeting card. The message on the card: "Happy New Year, We Did It."

The envelope also contained a booklet and about 10 sheets of paper that seemed to be a political manifesto railing against the war in Iraq.

3rd Small Blast In New York

Capitol Police, FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service were investigating. In an e-mail to lawmakers, Capitol Police said the envelopes went through the standard security process. That process, which involves radiating incoming mail, can easily take a week or more, making it likely the letters were mailed well ahead of the bombing.

The bomb shattered a glass door and left a gaping hole in the front window of the recruitment center. A cloud of white smoke billowed through the neon lights.

There were no injuries or serious damage. Although the motive was unknown it was clearly a slap at the military in one of the few places where it is both highly visible and easily accessible.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the act "insults every one of our brave men and women in uniform stationed around the world."

It was the third time in three years that someone riding a bike and armed with small explosives has struck in Manhattan, including two similar blasts at consulates in 2005 and last year.

The latest explosion heightened speculation that all three incidents were the work of a lone bomber who, perhaps emboldened by his past success, sought out a more symbolic target in the bright lights of Times Square.

The previous episodes generated nowhere near the response this one did. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, Bloomberg and the top FBI official in New York appeared at a nationally televised news conference in Times Square, and presidential candidates issued statements condemning the blast.

"Times Square is 'the crossroads of the world' and we're concerned about it," Kelly said at the news conference, where the police released a video of the apparent bomber.

The blast prompted a huge police response and rattled the nerves of New Yorkers and tourists alike. Guests at the nearby Marriott Marquis said they heard a "big bang" and felt the building shake.

"I thought it could have been thunder," said Terry Leighton, 49, a Londoner staying on the 21st floor. "I looked down and there was a massive plume of smoke."

A private security video, though too murky for police to get a clear description of the cyclist, shows a figure riding along a traffic island in the glow of neon signs at about 3:38 a.m. and getting off the bike just outside the recruitment center. About two minutes later, the cyclist rides away. Then the blast occurs.

Looking For More Clues

Investigators were studying other security videos, including one showing a man exiting a subway station about 10 blocks away carrying a bicycle, police said. The FBI was analyzing forensic evidence collected at the scene, Kelly said.

The commissioner cited other possible clues: A new bike found at about 7 a.m. in a Dumpster a few blocks from the blast and the sighting of a man on a bike near the scene moments before the explosion.

The man caught the attention of a witness because he was riding slowly, wearing a backpack and a hooded jacket, Kelly said. The witness said that because of the hood, the rider's face "was pretty much covered."

In October, two small explosive devices were tossed over a fence at the Mexican consulate, shattering some windows; police said they thought someone on a bicycle threw the devices.

At the time, police said they were investigating whether it was connected to a nearly identical incident at the British consulate on May 5, 2005. No one has been arrested.

In those incidents, "dummy hand grenades were used and the explosive, black powder, was put into those grenades and that caused the explosion," Kelly said. "Here, it may be similar powder: We still have to determine that, but it was placed in an ammunition box. That was the carrier for the explosive. There was no grenade."

Kelly held up a similar green metal box, noting they were readily available in Army-Navy surplus stores.

In another sign that the three blasts are related, all of them occurred between 3:30 and 4 a.m.

The military's 1,600 recruiting stations were advised to use extra caution, said Douglas Smith, spokesman for the Army recruiting command.