A small bomb rocked a Manhattan coffee shop early Monday, causing material damage but no injuries, and was speculatively linked by police to three other unsolved explosions in the city in recent years, AFP reported.
The blast struck near a Starbucks cafe in a residential neighborhood on Manhattan's Upper East Side at about 3:30 am (0730 GMT).
The shop was closed at the time of the incident, but the blast smashed windows and damaged the outside facade.
"We are going to analyze the type of explosive that was used," said New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. "It is described by bomb experts as a low explosive."
The incident evoked memories of three similar events in the city.
"After the Mexican consulate, the British consulate, the Times Square bombing event at the recruiting station, we have this event," said Kelly.
"They all happened between 3:30 and 4:30 am, that is the immediate similarity we are looking at."
Jackie Klempay, a local resident told local television crews of the ordeal.
"There was a huge boom. I thought it was either a gas explosion or a truck running into the building," Klempay said.
The explosion prompted the temporary evacuation of residents in nearby buildings at 92nd Street and Third Avenue.
In the three other unsolved explosions that rocked the city in the early morning, witnesses reported a man on a bicycle planting an explosive device, but police never made any arrests.
The latest explosion came four days after New York police and federal officers foiled a plot to blow up a New York synagogue and shoot down military aircraft. Four people were arrested and charged in the case, but the group had no connection to international terror networks.