Explosion shatters windows at Wall Street bank

Police tape surrounds debris from an early morning blast on Wall Street

February 11, 2000
Web posted at: 8:43 a.m. EST (1343 GMT)

NEW YORK (CNN) -- An explosive device went off early Friday in front of Barclay's Bank on Wall Street, three blocks from the New York Stock Exchange. Windows in neighborhood buildings were shattered and one man, slightly injured, was treated and released from a hospital.

The explosion at the corner of Wall Street and Water Street in lower Manhattan was first reported at 4:41 a.m., police said. They said the blast was caused by an "improvised explosive device." There was no fire.

The area is being searched by the New York Police Department bomb squad, including bomb-sniffing dogs.

A stockbroker who works in a nearby building said he heard a loud explosion and felt his building shake.

Police say they are looking for a man seen near the bank shortly before the explosion. It was not clear if he is wanted as a suspect or a witness.

He is described as a 5-foot-10-inch male, weighing about 225 pounds. The man was wearing a tan jacket as he left the scene just after the explosion.

Other reports described the man as wearing a construction jacket and carrying a yellow toolbox.

Barclay's Bank, which owns the building at 75 Wall Street where the explosion occurred, does not operate from that location. The British firm rents space there to other financial institutions.

Correspondent Deborah Feyerick contributed to this report.

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