A low-intensity bomb went off in Times Square in New York on Thursday morning, shattering a glass entryway and disrupting traffic as the police cordoned off the area for over two hours.

Media reports indicate the blast was not a terror-related incident. 

No casualties were reported in the explosion which occurred when a single, small improvised device was tossed, apparently by a man on a bike, at an armed forces booth in Times Square, ABC News quoted law-enforcement officials as saying.

The device was made from a green ammunition can filled with explosive powder. It blew out the lower part of the glass and is being described as a "low explosive."

Witnesses staying at a Times Square hotel said they heard a "big bang" and could feel the building shake.

A large plume of smoke was also visible after the explosion, they said. The recruiting station, located on a traffic island surrounded by Broadway theaters and chain restaurants, has occasionally been the site of anti-war demonstrations, ranging from silent vigils to loud rallies.

"If it were something directed toward the individuals working at that station, then obviously its very unfortunate and of great concern, because there is nothing more important to us than the safety of our troops," Capt Charles V Jaquillard, the Army Recruiting Commands company commander for New York City told the New York Times.