# British Consulate in NYC Bombed **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 5, 2005, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-consulate-in-nyc-bombed/302515 "2005-05-05T11:38:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-consulate-in-nyc-bombed/302515/1 "2005-05-05T11:38:24Z")
[No injuries, thankfully.](http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/05/uk.consulate/index.html) > [@](#): > > Two “improvised explosive devices” made from “novelty-type grenades” have exploded in front of the building that houses the British Consulate in New York City, police said. > > The blasts early Thursday morning shattered windows but did not cause significant damage or injuries, the New York Police Department said. Wonder who was behind it. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-consulate-in-nyc-bombed/302515/2 "2005-05-05T13:37:27Z")
Hmmm—that was my old office building (there are a lot of other tenants there besides the British Consulate). I worked there in '97, and when Princess Diana died, we needed guards to help us in and out of the building, for the crowds and piles of crap they left. My window was on the 2nd floor overlooking Third Avenue, so I guess my old desk is covered with glass today. I wonder if that boob really thought this was going to influence the British election? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-consulate-in-nyc-bombed/302515/3 "2005-05-05T15:59:12Z")
So, we have the second terrorist attack within the continental U.S. and the press goes wild. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-consulate-in-nyc-bombed/302515/4 "2005-05-05T16:05:11Z")
Second? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-consulate-in-nyc-bombed/302515/5 "2005-05-05T16:07:18Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > So, we have the second terrorist attack within the continental U.S. and the press goes wild. > > :dubious: I guess you never heard of a place called Oklahoma City? ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-consulate-in-nyc-bombed/302515/6 "2005-05-05T16:11:53Z")
Or the anthrax attacks of 2001? This is some crackpot, not a serious terrorist incident. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-consulate-in-nyc-bombed/302515/7 "2005-05-05T16:13:41Z")
Huh. Back on 9/11, everybody was talking about that being the first. Never mind, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-consulate-in-nyc-bombed/302515/8 "2005-05-05T16:21:34Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Huh. Back on 9/11, everybody was talking about that being the first. Never mind, I guess. There was the World Trade Center bombing in February 1993. Remember the guy who tried to get his deposit back on the Ryder truck he’d rented for the job? (Salameh Something.) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-consulate-in-nyc-bombed/302515/9 "2005-05-05T16:29:32Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Huh. Back on 9/11, everybody was talking about that being the first. Never mind, I guess. No. They said it was the WORST. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-consulate-in-nyc-bombed/302515/10 "2005-05-05T16:41:51Z")
I figure that if whoever did this was realy serious they would have at least bombed the embassy, and they would have used a more effective explosive. Whoever did this was a nutjob. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-consulate-in-nyc-bombed/302515/11 "2005-05-05T16:45:37Z")
It seems to have been some sort of toy grenade, but packed with gunpowder. All I know is that they closed the building for the day to investigate, and on the local stations they were interviewing people who had to miss a day of work. For the newsstand guys, delivery boys, temps, and secretaries who get paid by the hour, that’s a day’s pay gone. All for somebody’s little joke. Nice going. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-consulate-in-nyc-bombed/302515/12 "2005-05-05T16:52:10Z")
> [@vibrotronica](#): > > This is some crackpot, not a serious terrorist incident. Yeah, this reminds me more of the still-unsolved bombing across the street from my office than a “real” terrorist. As it happens, the target of that incident was the US headquarters of a British bank (at least that’s how the building was labled; the bank had moved out). ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-consulate-in-nyc-bombed/302515/13 "2005-05-05T17:04:17Z")
What about that kid who was blowing up mail boxes in the midwest and was trying to make a smilely face with the locations? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-consulate-in-nyc-bombed/302515/14 "2005-05-05T17:12:48Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > What about that kid who was blowing up mail boxes in the midwest and was trying to make a smilely face with the locations? [Lucas John Helder](http://archives.cnn.com/2002/LAW/06/05/mailbox.bombing/index.html). He’s been indicted with federal charges. I don’t know if it’s gone to trial yet. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-consulate-in-nyc-bombed/302515/15 "2005-05-05T17:44:26Z")
> [@Mehitabel](#): > > It seems to have been some sort of toy grenade, but packed with gunpowder. > > All I know is that they closed the building for the day to investigate, and on the local stations they were interviewing people who had to miss a day of work. For the newsstand guys, delivery boys, temps, and secretaries who get paid by the hour, that’s a day’s pay gone. All for somebody’s little joke. Nice going. Well, you can take comfort in the fact that the law will go after them like they’re a terrorist mastermind, and not just some punk kid having “fun.” ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-consulate-in-nyc-bombed/302515/16 "2005-05-05T19:05:05Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Huh. Back on 9/11, everybody was talking about that being the first. Never mind, I guess. [The Wall Street bombing of 1920](http://www.theinstitute.ieee.org/inst_art.jsp?isno=07031&arnumber=12011_history§ion=9) (still unsolved, killed more than 30 people) comes to mind, and I’m sure that’s not even the first. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-consulate-in-nyc-bombed/302515/17 "2005-05-05T19:14:14Z")
Chicago Haymarket 1886. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-consulate-in-nyc-bombed/302515/18 "2005-05-05T19:25:36Z")
Then there’s the terroristic hijacking of this thread… ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-consulate-in-nyc-bombed/302515/19 "2005-05-05T20:19:59Z")
Some jerkoff blew a chunk off a planter at 3:00am with a toy grenade stuffed with black powder. That’s not terrorism. It’s barely a fraternity prank. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-consulate-in-nyc-bombed/302515/20 "2005-05-05T20:34:20Z")
But the scary part is they proved it could be done. Now, maybe next time, they’ll try it with something a little bigger. ☹ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-consulate-in-nyc-bombed/302515.md?page=2)