NEW YORK (AP) — Two small makeshift grenades exploded outside the British Consulate early Thursday, causing slight damage to the building but injuring no one, officials said.

The blasts occurred at 3:50 a.m. and originated inside a cement flower box outside the consulate in midtown Manhattan, said police department spokesman Noel Waters.

In Britain, voters were voting in national elections, a heated race in which Prime Minister Tony Blair's fight for a third term could be hampered by public anger over the Iraq war. It was not known whether the explosions were related to the elections.

After piecing together the shrapnel, police determined the devices were toy grenades that had been filled with gunpowder. Officers estimated that one was the size of a pineapple; the other the size of a lemon.

The blasts shattered a panel of glass in the building's front door and ripped a one-foot chunk from the planter. The department's bomb squad was at the scene and streets were closed in the area.

The building has retail shops on the lower level

Posted by: Michele at 07:56 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 187 words, total size 1 kb.