NY 1 - May 03, 2010

This video shows a white man in his 40s taking off a shirt and putting it in a bag in Shubert Alley, about a half block from where the explosives-packed Nissan Pathfinder was parked on 45th Street. He also appears to be looking back in the direction of the SUV as he walks away.

Detectives are also looking to speak with a tourist from Pennsylvania who may have shot video of the man.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said that it is too early to say with whom, if anyone, the man is affiliated with.

"This is sort of what we have to be concerned about. There's al-Qaida central, there's sort of al-Qaida affiliates, and these lone wolves or small groups of people who may or may not be affiliated with larger organizations, so that's the landscape for law enforcement," he said. "It is very challenging."

Police also put out a surveillance shot of the SUV crossing through Times Square before it was parked.

Kelly says officers took the SUV to Queens for analysis after propane tanks, gasoline containers and fireworks were removed, along with a crude timing device and a gun locker.

Officers say test results showed a substance found inside the SUV was fertilizer, but not a grade that can explode.

Kelly says the SUV's owner has been identified, but the license plates match a different car that is being repaired in Connecticut.

"Clearly it was the intent of whoever did this to cause mayhem, to create casualties,” said Kelly. “It's a somber reminder that New York is clearly a target of people who want to come here and do us harm."

In a video posted on the Internet yesterday, the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attempted attack, but Kelly says there's no evidence to support the claim.

On this first work day after the car bomb scare, people who spoke NY1 with in Times Square say they are happy things are back to normal. "I'm safe. It's good. I'm good,” said one local worker. “Yesterday, no problems here. Was open to morning 6 o'clock."

"Hopefully, I feel safe. I'm not too worried,” said another. “It was very unnerving at the time, though"

"The city's pretty safe with the cops. They're doing their job,” said a third. “There's cops everywhere out here, I mean, I think they did a good job of containing it before it got any worse."

The city officer who called in reinforcements to Times Square Saturday night was treated to dinner last night by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The mayor had dinner with Officer Wayne Rhatigan and his wife at the Blue Fin restaurant in Times Square as a way of saying thanks.

Rhatigan, who has been a mounted officer in Times Square for the last five years, quickly called in the New York City Fire Department, the bomb squad and other police after a street vendor alerted him to the suspicious vehicle.

"Everything happened so fast; there's no time to be scared,” Rhatigan said. “Time to get the people outta here, time to start a perimeter, get everybody back, you know, things start going from there. Your training kicks in, everything we've been taught over the years, all these training sessions we go to, it just kicks in and it's second nature."

"Officer Rhatigan did exactly what he was trained to do, pushed the people away, brought in all the reinforcements necessary,” Bloomberg said. “The police department and the fire department and the Office of Emergency Management working together, took control, de-armed the car, got the explosives and the gasoline and the propane out the car and we're conducting an investigation."

Thousands of people were cleared from the Times Square area and several buildings were evacuated after the SUV was discovered. President Barack Obama is also praising law enforcement for its quick response to the situation.

Obama said he spoke to the mayor and will continue to monitor the situation closely.

"I want to commend the work of the NYPD, the New York Fire Department and the FBI, which responded quickly and directly to a dangerous situation,” said the president. “I also want to commend the vigilant citizens who reported it to the authorities."

Governor David Paterson said the incident is a reminder that the city remains a target for terrorists. He says the situation underscores the need for the public and law enforcement to work together.

"We're living in a new era ever since September 11th,” Paterson said. “We have to constantly be vigilant and we have to be careful and when something looks awry or suspicious, we should do what the person that sold t-shirts did, which is report it to law enforcement immediately so there can be swift action."

It's unclear whether security measures in Times Square will be reassessed.

The mayor had previously announced plans to expand the network of surveillance cameras from Lower Manhattan to Midtown. But security experts don't anticipate a major overhaul.