The New York City police commissioner and the mayor shot down a claim by a Pakistani Taliban group that they were responsible for the failed car bomb in Times Square on Saturday night.
"Although a Taliban bomb-maker has claimed on the Internet responsibility that the car bomb was placed in Times Square to avenge the deaths of mujahadeen fighters, we have no evidence to support this claim," said commissioner Ray Kelly during a press conference.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was dining out with the police officer who first evacuated the scene, echoed Kelly's skepticism about the terror group's ownership of the dud explosive.
"So far, there is no evidence that any of this has anything to do with one of the recognized terrorist organizations," Bloomberg told the Associated Press.
Kelly said that the lead suspect in the case is a white male in his 40s who was video taped walking through Shubert Alley, half a block from where the SUV was left in Times Square. On the video, the possible suspect is seen removing a black shirt and putting it in his bag.
Detectives traveled to Pennsylvania Sunday to look at tourist's tape, which caught the man on video, said the commissioner.
"We're working very closely with the FBI through the Joint Terrorism Task Force on this case. Our investigators have developed leads that may assist us in identifying the individual responsible for the attempted car bombing last night," said Kelly.
