Reward upped to $115,000 in still-unsolved 2008 Times Square pipe bomb attack

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Seven years after a pipe bomb attack in Times Square, the FBI said Wednesday that it has identified people of interest and several new leads.

The FBI is increasing reward money and re-releasing surveillance images of the unsolved attack that is believed to be linked to two other unsolved pipe bombings at the British and Mexican consulates.

A reward of up to $115,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in an unsolved 2008 bombing at the Times Square military recruitment station, officials said Wednesday.

Early on the morning of March 6, 2008, a bomb exploded in New York's Times Square at the Armed Forces Recruiting Station. The suspect rode a blue Ross bicycle to the recruiting station at West 43rd Street and Seventh Avenue, placed the explosive device at the recruiting station, lit a fuse, and fled on the bicycle.

No one was injured in the blast but someone could have been, Police Commissioner William Bratton said.

"Moments before the device detonated, individuals walked by, unaware of the potential danger and imminent explosion," he said.

FBI footage shows the Times Square suspect placing the bomb and riding away on a blue bike that was later found in a trash bin in an adjoining neighborhood.

The device was built using an ammunition can that is commonly found on battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, authorities said.

"It was filled halfway with black powder and detonated using a time fuse," the law enforcers said in a statement. "Although no one was wounded, the device could have caused significant casualties if people had been close to the blast."

Officials said the explosion may be connected to other unsolved early morning bicycle bombings in New York: one at the British Consulate in May 2005 and the other at the Mexican Consulate in October 2007.

Although the suspect appeared to be working alone, he or she may have had accomplices in Times Square at the time of the attack. The bike was later recovered in a dumpster near Madison Avenue and 38th Street. The suspect on the bicycle was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt and pants of an undetermined color.

"Someone knows those responsible for placing this device in the heart of New York City," said FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Diego Rodriguez. "We need those people to come forward to help us solve this crime before they can strike again."

Authorities are certain these are acts of domestic terrorism with no international ties. While the investigation is ongoing, officials say they're speaking out to keep the momentum going.

"It's been a difficult investigation because of the hour of the day it was committed and how quickly it happened. Obviously there weren't that many witnesses but we feel there are people out there that have information and we're encouraging them to come out and they've been coming out," said the FBI's Peter Tzitzis.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.