FBI Offers $250,000 Reward in Times Square Bombing

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $250,000 for information leading to the suspect or suspects responsible for the unsolved 2008 Times Square bombing.

According to the FBI, the bombing of the United States Armed Forces Recruiting Station in Times Square on March 6, 2008 may be connected to two other unsolved bombings in the city: the 2005 British Consulate attack and the 2007 Mexican Consulate attack.

Throughout the investigation, a number of people of interest were identified and are being actively pursued, the FBI said, adding there is no statute of limitations in this particular case.

"Fifteen years may have passed since the bombing occurred, but the New York [Joint Terrorism Task Force] is unwavering in the pursuit of justice in this case,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Michael J. Driscoll.  “If you have any information about this incident or those responsible for it, please contact us.”

On the morning of March 6, 2008, a suspect riding a blue Ross bicycle west on 37th Street, took a right up Sixth Avenue, and made a left on 47th Street before turning left down Seventh Avenue, according to the FBI. Subsequently, they got off their bike near the recruiting station at West 43rd Street and Seventh Avenue, placed the explosive device at the recruiting station, lit a fuse, and fled the scene on the bicycle.

While the suspect appeared to be working alone, he or she may have had a lookout or surveillance team of as many as five other individuals in Times Square at the time of the attack, according to authorities. Subsequently, the suspect then rode their bike south on Broadway before turning left on 38th Street, and the bike was later found in a dumpster near Madison Avenue and 38th Street. 

The suspect was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt and pants of an undetermined color, the FBI said. The height, weight, age, sex, and other physical factors that could lead to the identification of the suspect are unknown.

According to federal authorities, the explosive was built using an ammunition can that was filled halfway with black powder and exploded using a time fuse.

While no one was wounded, it could have caused "significant casualties if people had been close to the blast," the FBI said.

The Times Square bombing poses similarities with two other bombings in the city -- both of which took place in consulates. In the May 2005 bombing at the British Consulate and the October 2007 bombing at the Mexican Consulate, the devices that detonated were delivered by an individual on a bike and exploded between 3 and 4 a.m. Because of these similarities, there is a possibility that these three bombings are connected.

The FBI urges anyone with information on any of the three bombings to call their New York City office at 212-384-1000.