| Revision as of 12:56, 4 May 2010 editEpeefleche (talk | contribs)Pending changes reviewers150,049 edits →Investigation: add← Previous edit | Revision as of 13:00, 4 May 2010 edit undoEpeefleche (talk | contribs)Pending changes reviewers150,049 edits →Arrest of Faisal Shahzad: addNext edit → | ||
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| He is a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, and lived in Connecticut.<ref name="washingtonpost1"/><ref name="autogenerated1"/> Shahzad lived at 119 Long Hill Avenue in ], just outside Bridgeport for about three years.<ref name="nytimes3"/> Shahzad moved out around May 2009, with his wife following about a month later.<ref name="nytimes3"/> A neighbor said that he told her he worked on Wall Street, and that he and his wife, Huma Mian, spoke limited English, and had two young children, a girl and a boy.<ref name="nytimes3"/> | He is a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, and lived in Connecticut.<ref name="washingtonpost1"/><ref name="autogenerated1"/> Shahzad lived at 119 Long Hill Avenue in ], just outside Bridgeport for about three years.<ref name="nytimes3"/> Shahzad moved out around May 2009, with his wife following about a month later.<ref name="nytimes3"/> A neighbor said that he told her he worked on Wall Street, and that he and his wife, Huma Mian, spoke limited English, and had two young children, a girl and a boy.<ref name="nytimes3"/> | ||
| He had been in ] for five months, where he had a wife, and returned shortly before the attack.<ref name=Foxnews>{{cite news| title = American Who Recently Visited Pakistan Eyed in Times Square Bomb Plot| work = ] | date =May 3, 2010 | url = http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/03/officials-reportedly-foreign-plot-times-square-car-bomb/ | accessdate = May 3, 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/04/AR2010050400192.html?hpid=topnews |title=U.S. citizen from Pakistan arrested in Times Square bomb case |publisher=Washingtonpost.com |date= |accessdate=May 4, 2010}}</ref><ref name="washingtonpost6"/> Shahzad was believed to have bought the 1993 Nissan Pathfinder that was found in NYC about a week prior to the incident.<ref name="washingtonpost3"/> He had paid in cash three weeks earlier for the vehicle, which someone parked in Times Square, having previously filled it with explosives and incendiary substances. The vehicle was purchased through an ad on Craigslist. The SUV was bought for $1,300 (CNN listed the deal as being for $1,800)<ref name="dubaiflight">{{cite news |author=CNN Wire Staff | url = http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/05/04/new.york.car.bomb/index.html | Shahzad had traveled to Dubai before, most recently in June 2009, and returned to the U.S. in early February.<ref></ref> He had been in ] for five months, where he had a wife, and returned shortly before the attack.<ref name=Foxnews>{{cite news| title = American Who Recently Visited Pakistan Eyed in Times Square Bomb Plot| work = ] | date =May 3, 2010 | url = http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/03/officials-reportedly-foreign-plot-times-square-car-bomb/ | accessdate = May 3, 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/04/AR2010050400192.html?hpid=topnews |title=U.S. citizen from Pakistan arrested in Times Square bomb case |publisher=Washingtonpost.com |date= |accessdate=May 4, 2010}}</ref><ref name="washingtonpost6"/> Shahzad was believed to have bought the 1993 Nissan Pathfinder that was found in NYC about a week prior to the incident.<ref name="washingtonpost3"/> He had paid in cash three weeks earlier for the vehicle, which someone parked in Times Square, having previously filled it with explosives and incendiary substances. The vehicle was purchased through an ad on Craigslist. The SUV was bought for $1,300 (CNN listed the deal as being for $1,800)<ref name="dubaiflight">{{cite news |author=CNN Wire Staff | url = http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/05/04/new.york.car.bomb/index.html | ||
| | title = Bomb plot suspect arrested trying to catch flight to Dubai | publisher = CNN | | title = Bomb plot suspect arrested trying to catch flight to Dubai | publisher = CNN | ||
| | date = May 4, 2010 |accessdate = May 4, 2010}}</ref> which the purchaser reportedly paid for in $100 bills, at a shopping center in Connecticut without any formal paperwork being exchanged.<ref name=NYDaily>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/05/03/2010-05-03_times_square_car_bomb_square_evidence_points_to_overseas_terrorist_involvement_w.html|title=Pakistani-American Faisal Shahzad, suspect in foiled Times Square bomb plot, arrested at JFK|date=May 3, 2010|work=New York Daily News|accessdate=May 4, 2010}}</ref><ref name="nytimes3"/> | | date = May 4, 2010 |accessdate = May 4, 2010}}</ref> which the purchaser reportedly paid for in $100 bills, at a shopping center in Connecticut without any formal paperwork being exchanged.<ref name=NYDaily>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/05/03/2010-05-03_times_square_car_bomb_square_evidence_points_to_overseas_terrorist_involvement_w.html|title=Pakistani-American Faisal Shahzad, suspect in foiled Times Square bomb plot, arrested at JFK|date=May 3, 2010|work=New York Daily News|accessdate=May 4, 2010}}</ref><ref name="nytimes3"/> | ||
Revision as of 13:00, 4 May 2010
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. Feel free to improve this article or discuss changes on the talk page, but please note that updates without valid and reliable references will be removed. (May 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| 2010 Times Square car bomb attempt | |
|---|---|
 A view of Times Squareafter the vehicle fire was extinguished | |
| Location | 1 Astor Plaza, 1515 Broadway, Times Square, New York City, United States |
| Date | May 1, 2010 6:28 p.m. (UTC–04) |
| Attack type | Failed car bombing |
| Deaths | 0 |
| Injured | 0 |
On May 1, 2010, a car bomb was discovered by a New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer in Times Square, New York City. A nearby street vendor had alerted the officer to the threat when he spotted smoke coming from a vehicle. The bomb had been ignited, but did not explode, and it was successfully disarmed before causing any casualties.
On May 3, 2010, federal agents arrested Faisal Shahzad, a 30-year-old resident of Connecticut who is a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Pakistan. He was arrested at Kennedy airport as he tried to board a flight to Dubai. In a statement later that evening, Attorney General Eric Holder alleged that Shazad was the driver of the SUV that contained the car bomb, and that his intent was "to kill Americans". Shazad will be formally charged in federal court in Manhattan on May 4.
Incident
The suspect's vehicle, a dark blue 1993 Nissan Pathfinder sport utility vehicle with dark tinted windows was seen on surveillance video entering Times Square at approximately 6:28 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Saturday, May 1, 2010. Two minutes later, a t-shirt vendor noticed smoke drifting from the vehicle. It was then parked on a tourist-crowded block at the eastern corner of 1 Astor Plaza, near the entrance to the Minskoff Theatre (intersection of the West 45th Street and Broadway) with its emergency flashers on. He alerted a nearby NYPD police officer who then approached the Pathfinder to investigate and observed smoke coming from vents near the back seat, unidentified canisters, and the smell of gunpowder. The officer immediately called for backup, a bomb disposal team, and the New York City Fire Department.
An area stretching from 43rd Street to 49th Street on Seventh Avenue, and 45th Street from Seventh Avenue to Eighth Avenue, was quickly evacuated of all vehicle and foot traffic, including Broadway-performance attendees, and the area was barricaded. Several buildings near the vehicle, including the New York Marriott Marquis hotel, in front of which the Pathfinder was parked, were also evacuated.
The vehicle was set ablaze, but did not detonate. Upon arrival, the bomb disposal team used a remote-controlled robotic device to break out a window of the vehicle and explore its contents. They found in the rear of the vehicle gunpowder, dozens of consumer-grade M-88 fireworks, two five-gallon cans of gasoline, three propane tanks, a metal gun case holding eight bags with Template:Lb to kg of fertilizer, electrical wiring, and two alarm clocks with batteries that apparently were fashioned as triggering devices.> A bomb disposal expert with information on the contents indicated that the design of the device was more consistent with that of an incendiary device than that of a traditional bomb.
For reasons not yet known, the improvised explosive device's ignition source failed to set it off as intended. However, Mr. Kelly said the bomb: "would have caused casualties, a significant fireball." Police said the bomb would likely have killed or wounded many people.
Investigation
The NYPD Commissioner, Raymond Kelly, said the bomb components were all "locally available materials."
Investigators are examining the vehicle for fibers, fingerprints, and DNA, and attempting to track down where the bomb materials were purchased. Materials found in the Pathfinder were being sent to the FBI's laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, for analysis.
Investigators uncovered a piece of paper, fingerprints or possibly both that also indicated international ties, according to a federal official. The vehicle identification number (VIN) plate had been removed from the car's dashboard, but police retrieved the VIN from the bottom of its engine block. That led investigators to the SUV's registered owner, and then to the person who had purchased the vehicle.
Its license plates did not match its registration, and had apparently been taken from a Ford F-150 pickup truck awaiting repair at a Stratford, Connecticut, garage. The registered owner of the plates was contacted, and according to law enforcement sources did not appear to be involved in the incident. E-ZPass and other camera records at toll plazas are being reviewed in an effort to identify where the vehicle entered Manhattan.
Law enforcement officials were reviewing security camera footage from 82 city cameras mounted from 34th Street to 51st Street, between Avenue of the Americas and Eighth Avenue, and from business and tourist cameras for additional information.
Investigators also were examining international phone records showing calls "between some of the people who might be associated with this and folks overseas," according to a U.S. official.
The police are looking for a white male in his 40s who was seen on surveillance footage, changing his shirt in Shubert Alley and looking over his shoulder at least twice near where the vehicle was parked. Investigators were also looking for another person captured on video running north on Broadway, away from the area.
Kelly confirmed the possibility of lone wolf terrorism, saying: "A terrorist act doesn't necessarily have to be conducted by an organization, an individual can do it on their own." The police are also investigating whether the bomb was planted in response to a depiction of the prophet Muhammad in the episode "200" of the animated sitcom South Park, because the vehicle was parked near the offices of Viacom, the company which owns the Comedy Central channel which airs the show. Investigators are looking at similarities between the Times Square device and the two devices discovered outside London's Tiger Tiger nightclub and in Cockspur Street in the failed bombing attempt of 2007, which were believed to be linked to Iraq. New York Police Department spokesman Paul Brown said, "You can find similarities among different attacks, but there is nothing that we have at this point that has established that link." New York Mayor Bloomberg said, "So far, there is no evidence that any of this has anything to do with one of the recognized terrorist organizations."
Senior Obama administration officials said a flood of international and domestic clues suggested a plot involving more than one person. An FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force took over the investigation on May 3 as indications of a possible international connection increased.
The FBI searched Shahzad's Bridgeport, Connecticut, home on May 4, at Sheridan Street and Boston Avenue.
Arrest of Faisal Shahzad
On May 3, federal authorities announced that they had identified a person of interest in the attack. Later that day, Customs and Border Protection agents arrested the person of interest, 30-year-old Faisal Shahzad. Shahzad was taken into custody at John F. Kennedy International Airport, as he was on board Emirate Airlines flight 202 to Dubai which had left the gate and was heading towards the runway, before it was instructed to return. His final destination was Islamabad, Pakistan.
He is a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, and lived in Connecticut. Shahzad lived at 119 Long Hill Avenue in Shelton, Connecticut, just outside Bridgeport for about three years. Shahzad moved out around May 2009, with his wife following about a month later. A neighbor said that he told her he worked on Wall Street, and that he and his wife, Huma Mian, spoke limited English, and had two young children, a girl and a boy.
Shahzad had traveled to Dubai before, most recently in June 2009, and returned to the U.S. in early February. He had been in Pakistan for five months, where he had a wife, and returned shortly before the attack. Shahzad was believed to have bought the 1993 Nissan Pathfinder that was found in NYC about a week prior to the incident. He had paid in cash three weeks earlier for the vehicle, which someone parked in Times Square, having previously filled it with explosives and incendiary substances. The vehicle was purchased through an ad on Craigslist. The SUV was bought for $1,300 (CNN listed the deal as being for $1,800) which the purchaser reportedly paid for in $100 bills, at a shopping center in Connecticut without any formal paperwork being exchanged.
Shahzad was expected to be transported to Manhattan's Metropolitan Correctional Center. He will appear in Manhattan federal court on May 4 to be formally charged.
Reaction
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly were in Washington, D.C., to attend the 2010 White House Correspondents' Dinner, but returned immediately to New York after they were informed of the incident.
Attorney General Eric Holder called it a "terrorist act". White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, similarly, said "Anybody that has the type of material that they had in a car in Times Square, I would say that was intended to terrorize, absolutely. And I would say that whoever did that would be categorized as a terrorist, yes."
President Barack Obama was briefed on the incident, and promised federal assistance in the investigation. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Joint Terrorism Task Force also provided assistance to the NYPD.
Claims of responsibility
According to a report by the Associated Press, a Pakistani Taliban group claimed responsibility for an attack against the United States in a video posted on YouTube, saying the attack was revenge for the killing of Baitullah Mehsud and the top leaders of al-Qaida in Iraq — Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Masri — as well as for general American "interference and terrorism in Muslim Countries, especially in Pakistan." However, "The tape makes no specific reference to the attack; it does not mention that it was a car bomb or that it took place in New York City". According to the New York Times and the New York Daily News, the same group has made far-fetched, false claims for other attacks in the past. Several other groups have claimed responsibility, with no evidence or verified data. Al Jazeera said Pakistani Taliban sources denied being involved.
See also
- 1973 New York City bomb plot
- 1993 World Trade Center bombing
- September 11 attacks in 2001
- 2007 London car bombs
- March 6, 2008 Times Square bombing
- Domestic terrorism in the United States
- List of terrorist incidents, 2010
- Michael Finton, attempted truck bombing of U.S. target with undercover FBI agent he thought was al-Qaeda member, in September 2009
- Ahmed Ressam, the Millennium Bomber, arrested in December 1999 with 118 pounds of urea, primary and secondary explosives, and timing devices in his car with which he intended to bomb LAX
- Bryant Neal Vinas, U.S. citizen, trained in Pakistan, convicted in 2009 of participating in/supporting Al-Qaeda plots in Afghanistan and helping al-Qaeda plan a bomb attack on the LIRR in New York City
- Najibullah Zazi, al-Qaeda member, U.S. resident, trained in Pakistan, pleaded guilty in 2010 of planning suicide bombings near New York City's Grand Central and Times Square subway stations
References
- ^ "Suspicious car leads to closure of Times Square". CNN. May 2, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- "Car bomb found in New York's Times Square". BBC. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- ^ Baker, Al; Rashbaum, William K. (May 1, 2010). "Police Find Car Bomb in Times Square". The New York Times.
- "Crude car bomb found in Times Square". MSNBC. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- ^ William K. Rashbaum, Mark Mazzetti, and Peter Baker (May 4, 2010). "Arrest Made in Times Square Bomb Case". New York Times.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - "T-Shirt Vendor Takes On New Persona: Reluctant Hero of Times Square". New York Times. May 2, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- "Times Square bomb hero speaks". NBC News. May 3, 2010.
- "Bomb Scare in Times Square". The New York Times. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- "Police defuse car bomb in Times Square". France 24. May 2, 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- "US studies bomb evidence from New York's Times Square". BBC News. May 2, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- ^ "U.S. citizen from Pakistan arrested in Times Square bomb case". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- "Cops stop Times Square car bomb from detonating; Robot finds gun powder, wires in car". New York Daily News. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- "U.S. citizen from Pakistan arrested in Times Square bomb case". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- ^ Perez, Evan. "Man in Custody in Car Bomb-Inquiry - WSJ.com". Online.wsj.com. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- ^ Alison Gendar, Rocco Parascandola and Helen Kennedy (May 3, 2010). "NYPD hunting suspect caught on security cameras who fled from Times Square car bomb scene". New York Daily News.
- ^ "U.S. citizen from Pakistan arrested in Times Square bomb case". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- ^ Fowler, Peter (May 2, 2010). "NYPD Looking For White Male Over Attempted Times Square Bombing". NewsRoom 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- ^ "U.S. Arrests S.U.V. Owner in Times Square Case". NYTimes.com. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- ^ "U.S. citizen from Pakistan arrested in Times Square bomb case". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- ^ "Police Seek Man Taped Near Bomb Scene". New York Times. May 3, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|authors=ignored (help) - "NYPD Releases Times Square Surveillance Video". YouTube. May 2, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- ^ Allen, Nick (May 2, 2010). "Times Square car bomb: police investigate South Park link". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Michael M. Grybaum, William K. Rashbaum and Al Baker (May 3, 2010). "Owner of S.U.V. Holding Bomb Material Is Located". New York Times.
- ^ "U.S. citizen from Pakistan arrested in Times Square bomb case". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- "FBI searches NYC car bomb suspect's Conn. home". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- ^ "American Who Recently Visited Pakistan Eyed in Times Square Bomb Plot". Fox News. May 3, 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- ^ "Holder: Car bomb suspect tried to fly to Dubai". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- ^ CNN Wire Staff (May 4, 2010). "Bomb plot suspect arrested trying to catch flight to Dubai". CNN. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
{{cite news}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ By the CNN Wire Staff (April 17, 2009). "Times Square bomb suspect arrested 'at last second'". Edition.cnn.com. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ Rashbaum, William K. "U.S. Arrests S.U.V. Owner in Times Square Case". NYTimes.com. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- "U.S. citizen from Pakistan arrested in Times Square bomb case". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- "Pakistani-American Faisal Shahzad, suspect in foiled Times Square bomb plot, arrested at JFK". New York Daily News. May 3, 2010. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- ^ "U.S. citizen from Pakistan arrested in Times Square bomb case". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- Hagmann, Doug. "NYC Times Square car bomb attempt". Canada Free Press. May 2, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- ^ Ryan Lucas (2010). "Pakistani Taliban claims NYC car bomb". Associated Press. Retrieved May 2, 2010. — Fowler, Peter (May 2, 2010). "NYPD Looking For White Male Over Attempted Times Square Bombing". NewsRoom 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- "Americas – New York police hunt failed bomber". Al Jazeera English. February 5, 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
