American authorities nabbed a suspect in the Times Square attempted car bombing Monday night as he sat on a plane at Kennedy Airport about to take off for Dubai. Faisal Shahzad was slated to appear in court Tuesday on terrorism and weapons of mass destruction charges.
Shahzad, a naturalized American citizen born in Pakistan, is accused of driving a 1993 Nissan Pathfinder rigged with a crudely constructed explosive device into the Times Square area on Saturday night. A T-shirt and handbag vendor spotted smoke billowing from the vehicle shortly after its driver took off, prompting authorities to shut the bustling tourist spot down for several hours.
Shahzad allegedly admitted to the bomb plot and told authorities he acted alone.
Authorities claim the 30-year-old suspect recently returned to the U.S. from a five-month trip to Pakistan. FBI agents searched his home in Bridgeport, Conn. Tuesday morning.
The Pakistani Taliban tried to claim responsibility for the attempted attack, but investigators initially said they had no evidence to support that claim. At least one man has reportedly been arrested in Pakistan in connection to the bombing.
The suspect allegedly bought the Pathfinder used in the attempted bombing from a Connecticut man about three weeks ago. He allegedly paid cash. Police said the vehicle identification number had been removed from the dash, but they found that data stamped on the engine of the SUV. Cops traced its licence plates to a car from a Connecticut auto repair shop.
The Pathfinder was parked on 45th Street just before 6:30pm Saturday, on a prime block for Broadway shows. Authorities said the explosives, which included fireworks, gas and propane canisters and a non-explosive grade fertilizer in the cargo area of the truck, was rigged to cheap alarm clocks.
If it had detonated the bomb could’ve caused casualties and created mayhem in the busy tourist district. The device could’ve produced a “significant fireball”, authorities said, and sprayed shrapnel.