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No link found between NYC blast, letters to Congress

US Army soldiers walk on shards of broken glass as they leave a military recruiting station in New York's Times Square on Thursday after a pre-dawn explosion caused minor damage to the office. PHOTO: AP

US law enforcement officials said yesterday there was no connection between a letter to dozens of Congress members bearing the words "We did it'' and the bombing of a landmark Armed Forces recruiting station in New York City on Thursday.

Law officers have questioned the letter writer in the Los Angeles area and do not expect to bring any charges against him, three law enforcement officials said.

The letter writer was an anti-war activist who sent as many as 100 letters to members of Congress.

"It was just an incredibly unbelievable coincidence,'' said one of the law enforcement officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation in New York is continuing.

The manila envelopes contained a photo of a man standing in front of the recruiting station, a packet of approximately 10 sheets of paper that seemed to be a political manifesto railing against the Iraq war and a booklet.

The photo was the kind commonly sent as a holiday greeting card, said a Democratic congressional aide who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The man in the photo was thin, white with graying hair, wearing a striped flannel shirt and jeans, the aide said.

The message on the card read: "Happy New Year, We Did It.''

Capitol Police, FBI and the US Postal Inspection Service opened investigations into the letter on Thursday.

In an e-mail to lawmakers, Capitol Police said the envelopes went through the standard security process. That process, which involves radiating incoming mail, can easily take a week or more, making it likely the letters were mailed well ahead of the bombing.

Each envelope was stamped with two US$1 stamps and contained a label with a return address.

Police said the letters did not contain threats to lawmakers.

The bomb caused minor damage to the military recruiting station before dawn on Thursday and police were searching for a hooded bicyclist seen on a surveillance video pedaling away.

The blast left a gaping hole in the front window and shattered a glass door. No one was hurt, but New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said on Thursday that the device, though unsophisticated, could have caused "injury and even death.''

He told CNN television yesterday that federal authorities were investigating a possible link between a Canadian border crossing incident and the bombing.

Quoting an unidentified source, CNN said at least three people were stopped at a border crossing "about a month ago" for questioning, after which one left behind a backpack with a picture of Times Square inside.
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