the times square bomb incident was probably for something else

my take is that it was a distraction for another crime
blocks of buildings were evacuated, i might be a little hollywood high here, but if i am a thief this is one good distraction
buying real explosives would have left trails, and this way the police would burry the case sooner or later because they would not find anything, since the car was bought with cash and the materials in the car were shit, and i am guessing the police did not find any prints, because thief are good at cleaning them

if not a robbery, than a setup for another terrorist attack, based on this attack the culprits would have times and movements and procedures on the police and other forces, this was a stake out of the proceeding that would follow a suspected bomb

if i was the authorities, I would do checks of the buildings, or surrounding areas,
we can all be certain this is not organized terrorism, terrorists are usually good at googling things, and any kid can find the materials needed for a good old nail bomb, or something of the sort