Times Square bomb now a terror probe

New York:

The investigation into the Times Square car bomb now seems to point towards an international link, rather than domestic or anti-government groups. This assessment came after the White House for the first time clearly defined the attempted attack as an act of terrorism.

"I think anybody that has the type of material that they had in a car in Times Square, I would say that that was intended to terrorise. And I would say that whoever did that would be categorised as a terrorist," said Robert Gibbs, White House Press Secretary.

In New York City, the only thing one can't find easily is parking space, and so when an unmanned SUV would found on the curbside in the heart of Times Square, one of the world's busiest tourist spots - it was bound to draw attention.

The SUV was parked a block away from the headquarters of Viacom, which owns the Comedy Central cable channel. Last month, the channel's animated program "South Park" received threats from Islamist groups after an episode that lampooned Prophet Muhammad. While authorities are investigating this angle there is no confirmation of any link to this episode.