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Police seal part of Times Square
Part of New York's Times Square has been sealed off as police investigate a suspicious vehicle.
The area was evacuated while a bomb squad was sent to check the contents of the vehicle on 45th Street, the New York Police Department said.
A spokesman for NYPD told the BBC that the bomb squad had discovered petrol and propane canisters inside.
Police were first alerted to a report of a car on fire, and streets between Seventh Avenue and Eighth were closed.
The bomb squad was removing the canisters from the vehicle, although it was not clear if they were for any illegal use.
Police refused to confirm a report by Reuters news agency that explosives had been found in a car.
An unnamed fire department officer told Reuters that a man was seen fleeing the scene.
Part of the popular tourist area in the centre of Manhattan has been cleared of pedestrians as officers investigate.
"There seemed to be smoke coming out of the car," NYPD Detective John Sweeney told AFP news agency.
"Now they're removing stuff out of the car to check what it is. No-one has determined it's a bomb."
Paul Bresson, head of the FBI's public affairs office at the bureau's Washington headquarters, told AP news agency that agents were on the scene.
A senior government official told AP the suspicious vehicle was a Nissan Pathfinder.
Part of Times Square was also sealed off last December after a report of a suspicious van, although nothing dangerous was found.
Part of New York's Times Square has been sealed off as police investigate a suspicious vehicle.
The area was evacuated while a bomb squad was sent to check the contents of the vehicle on 45th Street, the New York Police Department said.
A spokesman for NYPD told the BBC that the bomb squad had discovered petrol and propane canisters inside.
Police were first alerted to a report of a car on fire, and streets between Seventh Avenue and Eighth were closed.
The bomb squad was removing the canisters from the vehicle, although it was not clear if they were for any illegal use.
Police refused to confirm a report by Reuters news agency that explosives had been found in a car.
An unnamed fire department officer told Reuters that a man was seen fleeing the scene.
Part of the popular tourist area in the centre of Manhattan has been cleared of pedestrians as officers investigate.
"There seemed to be smoke coming out of the car," NYPD Detective John Sweeney told AFP news agency.
"Now they're removing stuff out of the car to check what it is. No-one has determined it's a bomb."
Paul Bresson, head of the FBI's public affairs office at the bureau's Washington headquarters, told AP news agency that agents were on the scene.
A senior government official told AP the suspicious vehicle was a Nissan Pathfinder.
Part of Times Square was also sealed off last December after a report of a suspicious van, although nothing dangerous was found.
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