Obama vows appropriate steps to nab NY bomber

Washington, May 3: US President Barack Obama has vowed that his administration would do everything possible to bring the people behind the foiled bomb attack near New York Times Square to book.

"We're going to do what's necessary to protect the American people, to determine who is behind this potentially deadly act, and to see that justice is done," Obama said in his remarks in Venice, Louisiana where he travelled yesterday to have a firsthand assessment of the damages due to oil spill.

Obama said that he has instructed New York mayor Michele Bloomberg to ensure effective coordination between the state and federal officials.

"Since last night my national security team has been taking every step necessary to ensure that our state and local partners have the full support and cooperation of the federal government," he said.

"I'm going to continue to monitor the situation closely and do what it takes at home and abroad to safeguard the security of the American people," Obama said.

Earlier on Sunday, May 2, the New York police said that they were reviewing surveillance video inorder to determine the identity of the suspect behind the incident.

The suspect has been identified as white man in his 40s, who was repeatedly looking back at the SUV, where the bomb was found, in a suspicious and stealthy manner.

The New York Times Square was shut down on Saturday, May 1, night after suspicious material was found from the backseat of car parked near building.

Later police said that the material found at the backseat of the Nissan Pathfinder at West 45th Street and Seventh Avenue was a bomb made of electrical components, three propane gas tanks and two additional gas canisters.

Meanwhile a Washington-based intelligence group that monitors websites of Islamic terrorist outfit said on sunday, May 2 that the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had allegedly released a video, claiming responsibility for the foiled bombing.

"The video posted to YouTube contains an audio message attributed to Qari Hussein Mehsud, an official in TTP and organiser of its suicide bombing squad, played over anti-American images," SITE said in a statement, adding that English subtitles were also provided.

"The TTP states that the attack was in revenge for the recent deaths of Abu Umar al-Baghdadi and Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, killed in Iraq in April," the statement said.

"The group also maintains that the attack was in "revenge for the Global American interference and terrorism in Muslim countries, especially in Pakistan," SITE said.

Even though some of the US media outlets mentioned that unnamed ISI official in Islamabad has ruled out the hand of TTP behind the attack, there has been no official confirmation on the report.

OneIndia News