US: Suspect Admits Role in NY Bomb Attempt
VOA News04 May 2010
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says Pakistani-American Faisal Shahzad has admitted his role in the failed car bombing attempt in New York City's Times Square.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Holder called the attempted attack a "terrorist plot aimed at murdering Americans."
Holder says authorities plan to charge Shahzad with "an act of terrorism transcending national borders," attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and other crimes. Shahzad is to appear in federal court Tuesday.
Law enforcement officials say the suspect claims to have acted alone. But investigators say they are investigating all possibilities, including international links to the case.
Holder said Shahzad has been providing investigators "useful information."
Pakistan intelligence officials say at least one person with ties to the bomb plot has been arrested in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi. Attorney General Holder said he could not confirm that information.
The 30-year-old Shahzad, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was taken into custody late Monday.
The suspect was removed from a plane that was preparing to leave New York for Dubai.
The central piece of evidence in the case is the vehicle that was discovered in Times Square packed with fireworks, propane tanks, gasoline, fertilizer and timers.
U.S. President Barack Obama told a meeting of business leaders in Washington Tuesday that Americans "will not be terrorized" and "will not cower in fear."
FBI agents Tuesday searched Shahzad's home in the eastern U.S. state of Connecticut. Officials say he recently returned from a trip to Pakistan.
The Taliban in Pakistan claimed responsibility for the failed attack, but police in New York say there is no evidence to support that claim.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters that he will not tolerate any "bias or backlash against Pakistani or Muslim New Yorkers."
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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