U.N. security unfazed by Times Square bomb scare

The U.N.’s security services sought to assure U.N. employees today that the United Nations is not a target of the perpetrator or perpetrators of Saturday’s failed Times Square car bomb.

"The U.N.’s Safety and Security Service (SSS) is continuing to closely monitor developments in the Time[s] Square incident," according to a safety update.

U.S. and U.N. security authorities concluded that there is "no direct link between the incident and the U.N. or U.N. ongoing activities this week."

The bomb scare occurred more than a day and a half before U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and scores of foreign dignitaries were scheduled to arrive at U.N. headquarters to attend a major nuclear conference.

U.N. officials said Sunday that the U.N. would be "moving to an enhanced awareness level" in light of the attack. But New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Sunday said that the city’s security arrangements at the U.N. were sufficient to deal with any threat.

"During the U.N. General Assembly we have sometimes as many as 130 heads of state at the same time," he said. "So we have practices and patterns of protection that we put in place, working with the Secret Service and others … that we think are effective."

In fact, security procedures were less stringent than they generally are for the U.N.’s annual General Assembly meeting, which draws large numbers of foreign leaders. For such occasions, diplomats, reporters, and U.N. employees require a pass to approach the headquarters building from Second Avenue. Dump trucks are stationed near the U.N.’s 42nd St. entrance to prevent unauthorized vehicles from approaching the delegates’ entrance. No such security procedures were in place this week.

The U.N. security agency said in its latest update that it would maintain contacts with U.S. law enforcement officials and inform U.N. staff if any new "relevant facts are established." Meanwhile, the agency urged U.N. employees "to immediately report any suspicious persons or activities" on U.N. premises.