(CNN) -- Two makeshift bombs rigged from "novelty-type grenades" exploded in front of a building that houses the British Consulate and other offices early Thursday morning, officials said.
The blasts shattered windows but caused no injuries and no significant damage, the New York Police Department said. They occurred as voters in Britain were casting ballots in a general election in which Prime Minister Tony Blair is seeking a historic third term for his Labor Party. ( <http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/05/05/british.election/index.html> Full story) "It is true the British Consulate is in that building, but I don't think anybody should jump to conclusions," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters at the scene in midtown Manhattan. Police said a security camera on the building picked up a good image of someone in connection with the incident and authorities were searching for that person. The devices, which contained black gunpowder and a fuse, blew out a 1-foot (30-centimeter) chunk of concrete in a flower box in front of the building, sending it into a glass panel. Earlier, a Dutch national employed as a satellite-imagery analyst with UNMOVIC, the United Nations weapons inspections agency, was briefly detained for questioning a few hours after the explosions, a U.N. official said. The New York police and the FBI said the man was not a suspect. Police said he was detained only because he was asked not to cross a police tape and did so anyway. A police official said the man may have been drinking. Less than a mile away from the blasts at U.N. headquarters, security was tightened after the incident was first reported -- around 3:35 a.m., police said. The British Consulate is on the 9th and 10th floors of the building at 845 Third Avenue, between 51st and 52nd streets, a nondescript office block in an upscale area. "There's no reason to jump to the conclusion that any one floor of that building was a target at this particular time," Bloomberg said. "So far, nobody reported seeing anybody at the scene," the mayor said, noting there had been no warning call beforehand or any call claiming responsibility. One of the grenades was the shape of a pineapple and the other a lemon, an investigator said, noting that similar items could be purchased at any toy store. Police said the grenades had been altered to explode by the addition of black gunpowder. Bloomberg called the devices "unsophisticated." "It was one of those things you light and then run," a police spokesman told the UK's Press Association. New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said no timing device was used and that it appeared the grenades had a single fuse and were lit by hand. Shrapnel from the explosion was found as far as half a block away, said Kelly, who appeared at the news conference with Bloomberg. Authorities were reviewing video from security cameras in the area, Kelly said. At an afternoon press conference, Kelly said security-camera footage appeared to show one of the devices striking the building after being thrown, but that the video was of poor quality and must be enhanced to be of value in the investigation. He encouraged the public to come forward with any information on the incident, noting that cameras had seen a female jogger, a bicyclist and a taxi in the area around the time of the blasts. The road was closed for two blocks on either side of the building, which was surrounded by police and bomb squad experts. Kelly said no other suspicious items were found around the building, and that sweeps of other diplomatic locations in New York also turned up nothing. Witnesses described hearing two loud blasts just seconds apart. Santos Figuroa was working down the street and said he heard "two loud bangs" that "sounded like thunder." Protest site Other tenants in the 15-story building include The Conference Board, a private firm that compiles several U.S. economic indicators that help gauge the state of the American economy. The company's executive vice president and chief economist, Gail Fosler, was the target of an April 14 demonstration by activists against earth-moving equipment maker Caterpillar. Fosler is a Caterpillar board member. During the protest, demonstrators held signs outside the building claiming that Caterpillar supports human rights abuses in the Middle East by supplying equipment used to destroy Palestinian homes. The protest was part of the International Day of Action Against Caterpillar, organized in the United States by the group Jewish Voice for Peace. Other companies with offices in the building include Asahi Shimbun, Japan's largest newspaper; CorpBanca, a Latin American bank; Fundacion Amistad, a group that promotes understanding between the United States and Cuba; the Weather Channel; Liquid Realty Partners; Rosenzweig and Maffia CPAs; Rudin Management Company; and dozens of attorneys. People who worked in the building were allowed inside via a service entrance around 10 a.m. British Consul General Sir Philip Thomas arrived on the scene after the blasts and spoke to FBI officials and detectives. He told reporters he had "no cause to believe" his office was the target of the explosion. In Chicago, two blocks of Michigan Avenue were closed briefly near the British Consulate as a precautionary measure. The street reopened before the morning rush hour. The British Foreign Office said there were no provisions for Britons to vote at overseas consulates, The Associated Press reported. Britain's diplomatic representation abroad has been targeted for terrorist attacks in the past. ( <http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/05/05/uk.attacks/index.html> Full story) In November 2003, a suicide bomb attack devastated the British Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Those who died in that incident included Consul General Roger Short, the UK's top envoy in Istanbul. CNN's Jason Carroll, Richard Roth, Dana Garrett and Debra Goldschmidt contributed to this report. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> DonorsChoose. A simple way to provide underprivileged children resources often lacking in public schools. Fund a student project in NYC/NC today! http://us.click.yahoo.com/EHLuJD/.WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? 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