A car bomb defused in New York's Times Square was a potential terrorist attack, US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Sunday, while officials held off identifying who may be responsible. Police, tipped off by a street vendor, found the crude but powerful bomb in a sport utility vehicle when the entertainment and shopping area of Midtown Manhattan was packed with tourists and theater-goers on a warm Saturday evening. “We're taking this very seriously,” Napolitano told CNN's “State of the Union” program. “We're treating it as if it could be a potential terrorist attack.” Napolitano and other officials have not said whether the suspects could be Americans or foreigners. No claim of responsibility has been made public and police have said no motive or suspect has been identified. Authorities said the bomb – made of propane, gasoline and fireworks – could have killed many people. Times Square was evacuated on Saturday evening and largely reopened to vehicles and pedestrians just after 5 A.M. (0900 GMT) on Sunday.
