Oct 27, 2007 6:17 am US/Eastern
Explosion Shatters Windows At Mexican Consulate
Incident Extremely Similar To '05 Blast At British Consulate
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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NYPD and Bomb Squad units cordon off the Mexican Consulate after some kind of explosive device detonated there Friday morning.
CBS
Police and bomb squad units were called to the Mexican Consulate in Manhattan early Friday morning after two explosive devices were thrown at the building, causing a small explosion, WCBSTV.com first reported.
NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said the two devices were replica grenades packed with explosive powder, eerily similar to an incident at the British Consulate two years ago.
"There was a person seen on a bicycle today. Two years ago there were videos that showed an individual on a bicycle. We're still looking at it now," Kelly said.
The detonation blew out several windows and sent debris flying into the building, located in the Murray Hill section at 27 E. 39th Street between Madison and Park avenues.
Police aren't sure why the consulate was targeted, but are using surveillance video to try and pinpoint suspects.
"The personnel here at the Mexican consulate say they received no calls or no warning, and they have no reason as to why this incident took place," Kelly told reporters during an afternoon news conference.
There are no reports of any injuries, but consulate employees were tense as the news spread. "Everybody got nervous when they heard something about this, but we can stay calm," said Alejandro Aquino.
Ramon Xilotl, Mexico's Consul General, tells CBS 2 that the early morning attack, which left explosive fragments on the sidewalk, broke three windows and was captured on surveillance video.
"They showed the explosives but nobody is seen in the camera. But there is a witness that saw the individual," he said. "I condemn the attack."
A woman who works near the building tells CBS 2's Sean Hennessey that her boss heard an explosion around 3:30 a.m. "He said he heard something that sounded like a bomb, and he never heard anything that loud in his life and it scared him," she said.
When consulate employees arrived at the building Friday morning, they said they didn't notice anything out of the ordinary other than broken windows, which is when they notified authorities.
The NYPD's Arson Explosive Unit and the Bomb Squad are investigating the incident, as is the FBI and the area has been cordoned off.
In May 2005, two hand grenades exploded outside the British Consulate also around 3:30 in the morning, just as Britons went to the polls in a national election. That blast also caused minor damage and no injuries. The devices used in that attack were described as replica grenades, normally sold as novelty items, that were stuffed with gunpowder and lit with a fuse.
As police continue to search for answers, the consulate was shut down, leaving some who needed its services in tears.
"I want to validate my passport so I can go and visit my mother because she's very sick in the hospital," said Horalia Moran.
Stay with CBS 2 and wcbstv.com for more on this developing story.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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