Pakistani American man detained over Times Square incident
40 viewsBy jazbablog - Tue May 04, 7:45 pm
Federal agents and police detectives arrested a Connecticut man, a naturalized United States citizen from Pakistan, shortly before midnight Monday for driving a car bomb into Times Square on Saturday evening in what turned out to be an unsuccessful attack, Justice Department officials announced, The New York Times reported early Tuesday.
The man, Faisal Shahzad, 30, was believed to have recently bought the 1993 Nissan Pathfinder that was found loaded with gasoline, propane, fireworks and fertilizer in the heart of Times Square, a person briefed on the investigation said.
Mr. Shahzad was taken into custody at Kennedy Airport as he tried to board a flight to Dubai, U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said in an early morning statement delivered at the Justice Department in Washington. Charges against Mr. Shahzad, who had returned recently from a trip to Pakistan, were not announced.
“Over the course of the day today, we have gathered significant additional evidence that led to tonight’s arrest,” Mr. Holder said an early morning statement delivered at the Justice Department in Washington. “The investigation is ongoing, as are our attempts to gather useful intelligence, and we continue to pursue a number of leads.
“But it’s clear that the intent behind this terrorist act was to kill Americans,” he said.
The authorities began focusing on Mr. Shahzad after they tracked the sport utility vehicle to its previously registered owner in Bridgeport, Conn., who had advertised it for sale on several Web sites. He paid cash, and the sale was handled without any formal paperwork.
The former owner told investigators that it appeared the buyer was of Middle Eastern or Hispanic descent, but could not recall his name. It was unclear how agents from the Joint Terrorist Task Force identified Mr. Shahzad. Federal authorities provided few details on Monday night about the arrest, the suspect or the scope of any conspiracy in the failed attack.
The authorities have been exploring whether the man or others who might have been involved in the attempted bombing had been in contact with people or groups overseas, according to federal officials.
The investigation was shifted on Monday to the control of the international terrorism branch of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, a multiagency group led by the Justice Department, according to two federal officials.
“As we move forward, we will focus on not just holding those responsible for it accountable, but also on obtaining any intelligence about terrorist organizations overseas,” Mr. Holder said.
Officials cautioned that the investigation of possible international contacts did not mean they had established a connection to a known terrorist group..
“It’s a prominent lead that they’re following, the international association,” said a senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a continuing investigation. “But there’s still a lot of information being gathered.”
Mr. Shahzad was set to appear in federal court in Manhattan on Tuesday to be formally charged, according to a joint statement issued by the office of the Manhattan United States attorney Preet Bharara, the F.B.I. and the New York Police Department.
The statement said Mr. Shahzad was taken into custody at the airport after he was identified by the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Janet Napolitano, the homeland security secretary, had said on the “Today” show that it was premature to label any person or group as suspect. “Right now, every lead has to be pursued,” she said. “I caution against premature decisions one way or the other.”
