Explosion at Starbucks (Manhatten)

[carmen510]

Article from CNN

NEW YORK (CNN) -- An explosion outside a Starbucks on the Upper East Side of Manhattan sent frightened people running into the street early Monday.

The explosion blew out the windows of a Starbucks coffeehouse at East 92nd Street and Third Avenue at 3:25 a.m., according to New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

A "low-order improvised explosive device" exploded after being left on a wooden bench in front of the coffeehouse, Kelly said. The blast could be heard many blocks away, according to CNN affiliate WABC-TV of New York.

Seven people were briefly evacuated from the building above the Starbucks, Kelly said, but no one was injured. The interior of the Starbucks sustained no damage.

It's too early to tell whether Monday's incident is connected to other minor explosions in New York City in recent years, including ones at the British and Mexican consulates and another in Times Square, Kelly said...

This is particularly personal to me, because it happened about two blocks from my school, and its where a large percentage of my classmates go to in their spare time.

Anyways, do you believe this incident may be linked to the anti-globalization movement, some other motive, or is simply an act of random violence?

 

[kulade]

Noting recent events, it might have been a failed FBI sting.

Seriously, it's probably the actions of a wannabe unabomber of some sort.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Anti-globalization? Why not just anti-Starbucks? There's plenty to be mad about, at the very least their corruption of perfectly good coffee with barbaric pollutants like cream, sugar, and espresso.

 

[El_Machinae]

Moderator Action: derailing deleted

 

[AL_DA_GREAT]

Putting fireworks in public areas and running is a classic prank. My friends and I have bombed loads of places with various reactions.

 

[aelf]

It might well have been targeting Starbucks, the absolute ripoff that it is.

 

[hossam]

say what you will about Starbucks, they make good hot chocolate.

 

[negZero]

Starbucks should get bombed more often so Timmy's can take over the coffee market in America.

 

[Masada]

... anything that makes better coffee than Gloria Jean's Coffee's in Australia will be doing the country a world of good.

I endorse attacking Starbucks in order to get those poor persecuted souls to immigrate to Australia... (wait hasn't that been done before?!).

 

[aelf]

say what you will about Starbucks, they make good hot chocolate.

Bah. I could make them for myself anytime. I say it's overrated.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Each early-morning explosion inflicted little damage and caused no casualties. A bicyclist was spotted or caught on surveillance video at the scene of the three previous attacks.

One investigator said that other witnesses had corroborated some aspects of Mr. Hage’s account of two white youngsters, about 14 and 16 years old, running away from the scene.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/nyregion/26blast.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion

What the ??? How dose a 14 year old get hold of explosives

 

[kulade]

What the ??? How dose a 14 year old get hold of explosives

Taking the story and pictures into account, they were hardly explosives anyway.

 

[Rashiminos]

Household cleaning products, fertilizer, etc.

 

[SG-17]

What the ??? How dose a 14 year old get hold of explosives

Its not as hard as you think. It was probably a few M-80s or quarter-stickers strapped together.

 

[GoodGame]

Could do a bit of damage if right next to you. Fingers have been lost holding on to M80s too long. ;/

 

[Masada]

Is white the new codeword for Arab?

 

[FriendlyFire]

I forgot blackpowder is legal in the States.

 

[Narz]

Sounds like a prank to me, I'd say I've done stuff like that but I'm not going to.

 

[bhsup]

What the ??? How dose a 14 year old get hold of explosives

Give me two shotgun shells, a bb, some duct take, a length of metal tubing with screw on ends and viola, pipe bomb. We did some things as kids that would land us in Gitmo today probably.

 

[Masada]

Give me two shotgun shells, a bb, some duct take, a length of metal tubing with screw on ends and viola, pipe bomb. We did some things as kids that would land us in Gitmo today probably.

De-stumping would get me arrested now and we used more cowbells than that