<p><br /> The Taliban in Pakistan has claimed responsibility for the bomb in New York's Times Square.<br /> </p><p><br /> The terror group said it planted a crude device made of propane, petrol and fireworks to avenge the killing in April of al-Qaeda's two top leaders in Iraq and US interference in Muslim countries.<br /> </p><p><br /> The claim could not be immediately verified and security analysts urged caution, saying there could be links to Islamist groups or to a domestic cause in the United States.<br /> </p><p><br /> Tipped off by a street vendor, police found the bomb in a sport utility vehicle in Times Square when the entertainment and shopping area of Midtown Manhattan was packed with tourists and theater-goers on a warm Saturday evening.<br /> </p><p><br /> Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said: "We're taking this very seriously. We're treating it as if it could be a potential terrorist attack."<br /> </p><p><br /> Police are examining security camera footage for clues after the SUV was recorded traveling in the area, as forensics experts pored over the vehicle and the bomb parts.<br /> </p>
