Small blast exposes NY nerves

2005-05-05 21:24

Veronique Dupont

New York - Any explosion - even one as small as the blast outside the building that houses the British consulate - makes New Yorkers think back to September 11 2001.

Though no-one was hurt and there was little damage from the two homemade grenades that went off before dawn on Thursday, some commuters said they were terrified and thought twice about going to work.

The building in swanky Third Avenue was cordoned off by police on Thursday morning and some people took photos with their cellphone cameras while television news helicopters hovered overhead.

The two grenades, hidden in concrete flower planters in front of the building, caused only minor damage and no injuries. But the pyschological impact was immediate.

"It's terrifying but you have to go on with your life," said Christine, a New Yorker walking out of the metro a few blocks from the consulate building.

Felice, a 38-year-old accountant, called it a "terrible" and "cowardly" act.

The blast was "not as extreme as 9/11 (September 11) but it's always on our mind", she added.

Nearly 3 000 people died when two hijacked planes slammed into the two World Trade Centre towers on 9/11.

Bonnie Giusto, 48, who works for an investment firm, said her husband, who worked in the World Trade Centre, did not want her to go to work.

"I'm a bit scared," Giusto said, adding that the incident, which occurred as Britons voted in a parliamentary election, was "probably political since it was not a large explosion".

Daniela Locicero, 27, a program analyst, also did not want to go to work, saying she was terrified at the idea that someone would "throw some grenades" at her office.

But her boss told her to come in.

Richard Birney, an executive who travelled to New York for a conference, was woken by the blast near his hotel.

"I heard two loud explosions," he said. "You could tell from the sound that it was large, but not massively destructive."

Diane Donelly, 58, was sitting in a terrace drinking coffee as she waited to find out whether she could go to work.

"I don't think it's terrorist because they didn't mean to hurt anyone," she said. "There was nobody in the building."

In a bid to calm a city dramatically shaken by September 11, mayor Michael Bloomberg said: "This kind of thing is something that we are all concerned about and my advice to the public is to go about your lives."

Meanwhile, it's reported that a UN staffer is being questioned in connection with the blast.

- AFP