Lame Terror Attack Strikes New York
Thursday, May 05, 2005
(SNN) Today, New York police are investigating what caused two explosions at the UK consulate in Manhattan. No one was injured.
The blasts happened at 3:35 a.m. on the day that Britain is voting in a national election. Officials said that they had no indication the crime was tied to voting. At the scene in Midtown Manhattan, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that despite the British Consulate being in the building affected by the blast, no one should jump to conclusions. “It is true the British Consulate is in that building but I don’t think anybody should jump to conclusions,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters at the scene in midtown Manhattan.
It does not seem like the blasts were the work of professionals. Police believe that the explosives were toy grenades filled with black powder and lit with a fuse. Officers estimated that one was the size of a pineapple; the other the size of a lemon. But, police have warned the blast could have been much worse if a lime sized grenade would have been used in conjunction with a coconut size grenade.
The toy grenades were placed in the cement planters designed to protect the entrance of the building from bombs. The resulting explosion shattered a pane of glass in the front door of the building and blew a one foot hole in the planter.
Police fear that this may signify the start of a summer of attacks by “copycat” terrorists, young kids who think terrorists are cool want to act the part. The problem with these copycats is that eventually they take it too far. The signs that your child is turning into a copycat terrorist are subtle, but if your teenager starts making bombs, you should seek help immediately.
