'We Did It' Letters Eyed in NY Bombing

'We Did It' Letters Eyed in NY Bombing

March 6 2008
By MATT APUZZO â?? 10 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) â?? Police are investigating letters that arrived Thursday at Capitol Hill offices containing a photo of the Times Square military recruiting office before it was bombed and including the claim "We Did It."

The manila envelopes contained a photo of a man standing in front of the recruiting station, according to a Democratic aide who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is under investigation. The photo was the kind commonly sent as a holiday greeting card.

The message on the card: "Happy New Year, We Did It."
The envelope also contained a packet of approximately 10 sheets of paper that seemed to be a political manifesto railing against the Iraq war and a booklet. The aide didn't know what the booklet was.

Postal inspectors were at the Capitol investigating the letters alongside Capitol Police, U.S. Postal Inspection Service spokesman Douglas Bem said. He had no details about the letters' content. A second law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the case is ongoing, confirmed some of their contents as described by the Democratic aide.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of an e-mail from the office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., to other lawmakers Thursday that reads:

"A few offices on the House side have received a letter today addressed to 'Members of Congress' with a picture of a man standing in front of the Times Square recruiting station that was bombed in New York today with the statement 'We did it.'

He is standing in front of it with his arms spread out and he's attached his political manifesto."

Authorities advised the recipients to leave the letters alone and call police, the e-mail says.

The man was thin, white with graying hair, wearing a striped flannel shirt and jeans, according to the Democratic aide.

Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, a Capitol Police spokesman, said she had received media calls asking about the letter. She said she had made some initial checks but had not been able to confirm reports of the letter.

The small bomb caused minor damage to the New York military recruiting station before dawn Thursday and police were searching for a hooded bicyclist seen on a surveillance video pedaling away.

The blast left a gaping hole in the front window and shattered a glass door, twisting and blackening its metal frame. No one was hurt, but Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the device, though unsophisticated, could have caused "injury and even death."

Associated Press Writer Erica Werner contributed to this report.