US President Barack Obama has said that his administration would do whatever necessary to find those responsible for the failed terrorist attempt to blow up a car bomb at the Times Square in New York on Saturday.
"We're going to do what's necessary to protect the American people, to determine who is behind this potentially deadly act, and to see that justice is done," Obama said in his remarks in Venice, Louisiana where he travelled on Sunday to have a firsthand assessment of the damages due to oil spill.
Obama said he spoke to New York Mayor Michele Bloomberg to make sure that state and federal officials are coordinating effectively.
"Since last night my national security team has been taking every step necessary to ensure that our state and local partners have the full support and cooperation of the federal government," he said.
"I'm going to continue to monitor the situation closely and do what it takes at home and abroad to safeguard the security of the American people," Obama said.
The New York police said they were reviewing surveillance video that might have captured a suspect in Saturday's failed car bombing in Times Square.
The suspect was described as a white man in his 40s who repeatedly looked back at the rigged SUV in a furtive manner and exhibited other suspicious behaviour.
A major crisis was averted in New York, when New York police department removed bomb-making materials from a parked sports utility vehicle in Times Square, including propane tanks and a clock suspected to be a timing device.
Police said a Nissan Pathfinder at West 45th Street and Seventh Avenue was loaded with a bomb made of electrical components, three propane gas tanks and two additional gas canisters.
Meanwhile, a video allegedly released by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed the attempted bombing, a Washington-based intelligence group that monitors websites of Islamic terrorist outfit said.
There was no official confirmation of the report, even as some US media outlets quoted unnamed ISI official in Islamabad that TTP had no role in this bombing attempt.
"The video posted to YouTube contains an audio message attributed to Qari Hussein Mehsud, an official in TTP and organiser of its suicide bombing squad, played over anti-American images," SITE said in a statement, adding that English subtitles were also provided.
"The TTP states that the attack was in revenge for the recent deaths of Abu Umar al-Baghdadi and Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, killed in Iraq in April," the statement said.
"The group also maintains that the attack was in "revenge for the Global American interference and terrorism in Muslim Countries, especially in Pakistan," SITE said.
Earlier in the day the Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano on a Sunday talk show said there is a possibility that this is related to terrorism.
"I would just say, without getting, again, into characterising who might be involved or what those motives might be, obviously she (Napolitano) had said this is an extremely serious situation and we're looking at investigating all those possibilities in conjunction -- obviously we are supportive of the efforts, and helpful to the efforts that NYPD are doing through the Federal Bureau of Investigation," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said.
