Explosion in New York's Times Square

A small explosion has caused minor damage to a US military recruiting centre in New York's Times Square.

No one was injured in the blast which happened at 3.45am (8.45am Irish time) this morning.

NY1 Television said a small bomb or incendiary device was thrown at the one-story building causing a small break in one of the windows.

Minor damage was caused to the building's door.

Police initially closed off the streets around the busy tourist area, but traffic was allowed through the square three hours after the explosion.

Subway train operations through the Times Square station are also back to normal.

The targeted building sits in a traffic island between Broadway and 7th Avenue in Times Square.

Captain Charley Jaquillard, who is in charge of US Army recruiting in Manhattan and works in the centre, said nobody was in the building when the explosion occurred.

The centre had been the site of several demonstrations against the US war in Iraq.

US Homeland Security Department said it was investigating whether there was a terrorism link to the explosion.

Click here to see footage from New York