According to reports, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) is demanding that the Obama Administration fund additional measures to protect New York City from the threat of a makeshift nuclear device or radioactive bomb.  Pointing to what happened over the weekend in New York, the Senator asked for the creation of a security ring around Manhattan to detect radiological and biological weapons.  The Senator noted that New York is the number one target for terrorism in the United States and the federal government has to help protect it.  He did not mention one of the most important protections that could be made available to all New Yorkers – KI.

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There are now three different videos posted on the Internet claiming the Pakistani Taliban was responsible for the failed bomb attack Saturday evening in Times Square in New York.  The bomb was discovered by a street vendor who noticed the abandoned SUV was running with keys in the ignition and its emergency lights flashing.  The Nissan Pathfinder was filled with gasoline, fireworks, alarm clocks and fertilizer.

New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said police have no evidence to support these claims.  Mayor Bloomberg said there was no evidence tied to international terrorism but, according to the AP, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said it was too early to rule out any suspects.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed the New York bomb was intended to avenge the deaths of two al-Qaeda operatives who were killed by U.S. forces in Tikrit 12 days ago.  The two were thought to have played a role in the car bombing in London in 2007.  Terrorism experts were quick to point out that the Pakistani Taliban has been known to lie about its involvement in various terrorist activities.

Some observers noted that the SUV was parked near the headquarters of Viacom, which owns Comedy Central.  Recently, the network aired a controversial “South Park” episode that portrayed the Prophet Muhammad dressed in a bear costume.  Various individuals and organizations have promised reprisals against the show’s creators for the episode.

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