There remains a constant war on terrorism within the United States. The scare in Time Square Saturday evening, May 1, 2010 is testiment to this frightening reality as suspect, 30-year-old Faisal Shahzad, tried to set off a car bomb.
Pakistani-born Faisal Shahzad, who is a naturalized US citizen, was arrested along with another unknown male while attempting to board a flight to Dubai from JFK International Airport Monday night. Shahzad will face terrorism and mass destruction charges, Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday.
“Based on what we know so far, it is clear that this was a terrorist plot aimed at murdering Americans in one of the busiest places in our country,” Holder said.
Authorities tracked down Shahzad using the vehicle identification number on the Nissan Pathfinder that failed to detonate. They linked that number to a recent sale in Connecticut, Holder said. Once they identified Shahzad, authorities placed him on a federal air travel no-fly list. He was arrested late Monday night aboard a plane bound for the United Arab Emirates.
The FBI read Shahzad his constitutional rights after he provided information, and he continued to cooperate, FBI Deputy Director John Pistole said.
US authorities are receiving cooperation abroad.
Pakistan’s embassy in Washington said it would work with U.S. intelligence to unravel the failed bombing but said at the moment it appears the would-be bomber was a lone “disturbed individual.”
President Barack Obama said “hundreds of lives” may have been saved Saturday night by the quick response of ordinary citizens and law enforcement authorities who saw the smoking SUV parked in Times Square.
“As Americans and as a nation, we will not be terrorized. We will not cower in fear. We will not be intimidated,” Obama said.
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