A Pakistan-born U.S. citizen Held In NYC Car Bomb Attack

[John317]

By TOM HAYS and COLLEEN LONG, Associated Press Writers Tom Hays And Colleen Long, Associated Press Writers – 16 mins ago

NEW YORK – A Pakistan-born U.S. citizen accused of driving a bomb-laden SUV into Times Square and parking it on a street lined with restaurants and Broadway theaters was to appear in court Tuesday to face charges that he tried to set off a massive fireball and kill Americans, federal authorities said.

The suspect, Faisal Shahzad, was taken into custody late Monday by FBI agents and New York Police Department detectives at Kennedy Airport while trying to board a flight to Dubai, according to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and other officials. He was identified by customs agents and stopped before boarding, Holder said early Tuesday in Washington.

Shahzad is a naturalized U.S. citizen and had recently returned from a five-month trip to Pakistan, where he had a wife, according to law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation into the failed car bombing.

The U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan was handling the case and said Shahzad would appear in court Tuesday, but the charges were not made public. FBI agents searched the home at a known address for Shahzad in Bridgeport, Conn., early Tuesday, said agent Kimberly Mertz, who wouldn't answer questions about the search.

Authorities removed filled plastic bags from the house overnight in a mixed-race, working-class neighborhood of multi-family homes in Connecticut's largest city. A bomb squad came and went without entering as local police and FBI agents gathered in the cordoned-off street.

Shahzad was being held in New York overnight and couldn't be contacted. A phone number at a listed address for Shahzad in Shelton, Conn., wasn't in service.

Law enforcement officials say Shahzad bought the SUV, a 1993 Nissan Pathfinder, from a Connecticut man about three weeks ago and paid cash. The officials spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the case.

The vehicle identification number had been removed from the Pathfinder's dashboard, but it was stamped on the engine, and investigators used it to find the owner of record, who told them he had sold the vehicle to a stranger.

As the SUV buyer came into focus, investigators backed off other leads, although Holder said U.S. authorities "will not rest until we have brought everyone responsible to justice," suggesting additional suspects are being sought.

The SUV was parked on Saturday night on a busy midtown Manhattan street near a theater showing "The Lion King." The explosive device inside it had cheap-looking alarm clocks connected to a 16-ounce can filled with fireworks, which were apparently intended to detonate gas cans and set propane tanks afire in a chain reaction "to cause mayhem, to create casualties," police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said.

A metal rifle cabinet placed in the SUV's cargo area was packed with fertilizer, but NYPD bomb experts believe it was not a type volatile enough to explode like the ammonium nitrate grade fertilizer used in previous terrorist bombings.

Police said the SUV bomb could have produced "a significant fireball" and sprayed shrapnel with enough force to kill pedestrians and knock out windows.

A vendor alerted a police officer to the parked SUV, which was smoking. Times Square, clogged with tourists on a warm evening, was shut down for 10 hours. A bomb squad dismantled the explosive device, and no one was hurt.

But Holder said Americans should remain vigilant.

"It's clear," he said, "that the intent behind this terrorist act was to kill Americans."

In Pakistan, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said authorities had not been formally asked for help in the probe.

"When the request comes, we will cooperate with the U.S. government," he told the AP.

The Pakistani Taliban appeared to claim responsibility in videos that surfaced after the weekend scare, monitoring groups said, but police had no evidence to support the claims.

The SUV was parked near offices of Viacom Inc., which owns Comedy Central. The network recently aired an episode of the animated show "South Park" that the group Revolution Muslim had complained insulted the Prophet Muhammad by depicting him in a bear costume.

The date of the botched bombing, May 1, was International Workers Day, a traditional date for political demonstrations, and thousands of people had rallied for immigration reform that day in New York.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_times_square_car_bomb

[lazarus]

There seems to be a debate amongst conservatives as to whether he should get Miranda rights.

[karl]

There seems to be a debate amongst conservatives as to whether he should get Miranda rights.

I'm still trying to put it together as a credible attempt. The firecrackers as igniters of the gasoline in the gas cans was, at best, a hope. The possible (certainly not guaranteed) explosions of the propane tanks seems like maybe an attempt to sabotage firefighters who would come to the blaze. The fertilizer could not have ignited.

If we determine that this is truly a Taliban-sponsored bombing attempt (and I can't imagine them doing anything this inept) the perpetrator should be treated as an enemy soldier.

[bonnie]

Quote:

I'm still trying to put it together as a credible attempt. The firecrackers as igniters of the gasoline in the gas cans was, at best, a hope. The possible (certainly not guaranteed) explosions of the propane tanks seems like maybe an attempt to sabotage firefighters who would come to the blaze. The fertilizer could not have ignited.

If we determine that this is truly a Taliban-sponsored bombing attempt (and I can't imagine them doing anything this inept) the perpetrator should be treated as an enemy soldier.

It was reported that he set the timer wrong,not allowing for the difference between AM and PM.

Sob sisters are out in force. He was foreclosed on and that undoubtedly caused a great deal of stress.You have to wonder where this poor stressed out man got the money for the SUN,all the materials in the Suv,a trip to Pakistan etc.

Mayor Bloomberg first implied it could be a tea partier .When that didn't work he switched gears and demanded this not backlash against Muslims in New York.

We need to cut this guy some slack.If any of us were to lose our homes we would act the same way Right??

[karl]

We need to cut this guy some slack.If any of us were to lose our homes we would act the same way Right??

Actually, I am completely fed up with the upkeep of my property. Mowing the lawns, keeping the woodwork painted, automobile upkeep, tractor upkeep, paying the taxes, etc. I'm more likely to bomb somthing because I HAVEN'T lost my home.