New York City Police found a bomb in in a smoking sport utility vehicle in Times Square early today that apparently began to detonate but did not explode, said an AP report.

 

Thousands of tourists were cleared from the streets for 10 hours after a T-shirt vendor alerted police to the suspicious vehicle, which contained three propane tanks, fireworks, two filled 5-gallon gasoline containers, and two clocks with batteries, electrical wire and other components, the report said. The bomb appeared to be starting to detonate but malfunctioned, the report said.

 

No suspects were in custody, though Kelly said a surveillance video showed the car driving west on 45th Street before it parked between Seventh and Eighth avenues. Police were looking for more video from office buildings that weren't open at the time.

 

A white robotic police arm broke windows of the SUV to remove any explosive materials. A Connecticut license plate on the vehicle did not match up, the report said said. Police interviewed the Connecticut car owner, who told them he had sent the plates to a nearby junkyard.