Anyway, the NY Slimes says that the explosion was not terrorist-related:
By 9 a.m., though, it was clear that the explosion was not some Qaeda strike but an accident.Law-enforcement officials said a 27-year-old sheet metal worker, Giles Lison, was sitting alone in his Volkswagen parked up the street from his home when the car exploded. They said it was most likely that the blast was caused by a leaky tank of acetylene, a highly flammable compressed gas used in welding, that was found in the back seat.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/08/nyregion/08blast.html?pagewanted=all