It's way too early in the investigation to speculate on who was behind that attempted car bomb in Times Square last night. Being a blogger, I will do so anyway.

Judging by the amateurish way the bomb was rigged, it probably wasn't al-Qaeda although someone sympathetic to the terrorists might be responsible. Other possibles include a domestic group of either side, or someone trying to make it appear that way.

Regardless, I have a feeling that they are going to catch the perps soon. That's because there are so many security cams in the area:

"We're in the process of identifying additional cameras which may have captured images of the vehicle and more important, people seen driving or leaving the vehicle," said NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly.

Police immediately shut down Times Square, canceled Broadway shows, evacuated the Marriott Marquis, and ushered thousands of people outside the barriers.

Bloomberg said the bomb scare is another reminder that New York is a terrorist target and everyone has to be vigilant.

"Message, New Yorkers, is what we've been saying for an awful long time. Terrorists around the world who feel threatened by the freedoms that we have in this country and want to take those freedoms away from us always focus on the symbol of those freedoms, and that is New York City," Bloomberg said.

The New York Times is reporting that police believe the bomb was a fizzle:

Inside, they discovered three canisters of propane like those used for barbecue grills, two five-gallon cans of gasoline, consumer-grade fireworks - the apparent source of the "pops" - and two clocks with batteries, the mayor said. He said the device "looked amateurish."

Mr. Browne said: "It appeared it was in the process of detonating, but it malfunctioned."

I doubt whether a professional terrorist, trained in the art of bomb making, would have made such a crude device. The caveat to this idea is explained by Allah:

What makes me nervous is the use of propane. Remember that London bombing plot three years ago, in which jihadis tried - and failed - to set off a bunch of car bombs around the city? Quote:

[...]

Had it done so, that blast then would have ignited six to eight tanks of propane in a mist to make a fuel-air explosion, creating a fireball the size of a small house and propelling 18 to 20 boxes of roofing nails around a large area at bullet speed, counterterrorism officials said.

There was apparently no anti-personnel shrapnel in this device, which leaves the estimate of how damaging a blast it might have made up in the air. That time of night, Times Square is jam packed so even a minor explosion would almost certainly have killed and injured dozens.

Police say it would have been more of an "incendiary" rather than "explosive" event if the bomb had gone off. Cold comfort to nervous New Yorkers who once again find themselves living targets of someone's fanatical hatred.