New York: An explosive device damaged a military recruiting station in Times Square early on Thursday, and police blocked off the area to investigate.
The explosive device caused minor damage, and no one was injured, police said. The explosion shattered a glass entryway.
Members of the police department's bomb squad and fire officials gathered outside the recruiting station.
Witnesses staying at a hotel in the area said they heard a ''big bang'' and could feel the building shake. A large plume of smoke was also visible after the explosion, they said.
At one point in the investigation subway trains passed through the Times Square station without stopping, but normal service resumed with delays later in the morning. Police cars and tape blocked the streets.
Police said it was too early to say if the blast may have been related to two other minor explosions in the city.
In October, two small explosive devices were tossed over a fence at the Mexican consulate, shattering three windows but causing no injuries. No threats had been made against the consulate, and no one took responsibility for the explosion, police said.
At the time, police said they were investigating whether it was connected to a similar incident at the British consulate on May 5, 2005.
In that incident, the explosions took place in the early morning hours, when Britons were going to the polls in an election that returned Prime Minister Tony Blair to power.
In both cases, the instruments were fake grenades sometimes sold as novelty items. They were packed with black power and detonated with fuses, but incapable of causing serious harm, police said.
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