NEW YORK (Agencies)

Police tipped off by an alert street vendor found and defused a car bomb inside a sport utility vehicle in an incident that forced the evacuation of New York's Times Square on Saturday and could have turned into a "very deadly event," authorities said early on Sunday.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg told a news conference that "we have no idea who did this and why." He said the bomb appeared to have been made in an amateurish manner.

Times Square is a popular tourist destination in Manhattan's Midtown.

Bloomberg also said the bomb was homemade and "looked amateurish" but "certainly could have exploded."

	We are very lucky. Thanks to alert New Yorkers and professional police officers, we avoided what could have been a very deadly event
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg

New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the device consisted of three propane tanks, consumer-grade fireworks, two gasoline containers, wires and two clocks.

"We are very lucky. Thanks to alert New Yorkers and professional police officers, we avoided what could have been a very deadly event," Bloomberg said.

He said an alert T-shirt vendor noticed "an unoccupied suspicious vehicle" and alerted a mounted New York police officer, who observed that the SUV had smoke emerging from vents near the back seat and smelled of gun powder.

"We do not know who drove the car," Bloomberg said. "We have no idea who did this or why."

"The NYPD bomb squad has rendered safe an improvised car bomb," said New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

The bomb was discovered in a dark green Nissan Pathfinder parked on 45th street and Broadway with its engine running and hazard lights flashing, authorities said. It had Connecticut license plates that did not match the vehicle.

Kelly said police bomb technicians removed and dismantled three propane tanks, consumer-grade fireworks, two gasoline containers and two clocks apparently used as timers, along with electrical wire and other components in the rear of the vehicle.

New York has remained on high alert for another attack since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in which hijacked airliners toppled the World Trade Center's twin towers.

Last year police said they thwarted a plot to bomb the New York subway system. Two men have pleaded guilty in the case.

U.S. President Barack Obama commended the "quick action" by New York police in dealing with the incident and said the New York Police Department had done "excellent work" in responding.
A New York police officer, who did not give his name because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said a man was seen fleeing the car and that Times Square was evacuated in case there were other devices.

In Washington, FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said the Joint Terrorism Task Force has responded along with the NYPD.

A U.S. official, who asked not to be identified by name, said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was aware of the situation and was monitoring developments, but declined to comment further. The official said the New York Police Department was in charge of the investigation.