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Shahzad Faisal, Suspect in Times Square SUV Bomb, Arrested At JFK Airport

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» 55 comments

Shahzad Faisal, a U.S. citizen of Pakistani descent, has been arrested at JFK airport, according to authorities. Investigation into the history of the vehicle used in the attempt led to the suspect, officials said.

Update: Apparently Shahzad was actually removed from an Emirates plane on the runway, along with two other people. NPR is reporting that investigators found something in the Pathfinder that led them to JFK, but so far are not revealing any more details. This from this morning’s Times. [GM]

The man, Faisal Shahzad, 30, was taken into custody at Kennedy Airport on board an Emirates flight to Dubai, according to the airline and an early-morning statement Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. delivered at the Justice Department in Washington.

Two other passengers were removed from the plane, Emirates said, but it was unclear whether they were connected with the bombing attempt.

From the original New York Times report:

Mr. Shahzad was taken into custody at Kennedy Airport, apparently trying to flee, one of the people said. Charges against Mr. Shahzad, who had returned recently from a trip to Pakistan, were not announced.

The authorities began focusing on him after they tracked the vehicle to its previously registered owner in Bridgeport, Conn., who had advertised it for sale on several Web sites. He paid cash, and the sale was handled without any formal paperwork.

The former owner told investigators that it appeared the buyer was of Middle Eastern or Hispanic descent, but could not recall his name. It was unclear how agents from the Joint Terrorist Task Force identified him.

Police followed several dead-end leads attached to the car– including false license plates– before arriving at its registered owner, who had sold it to Faisal over the trading website Craigslist for cash. Faisal’s name was in the emails through which the car was purchased.

Fox News is reporting that authorities are looking into “similarities between the failed attack in New York City and both the 2007 attack on Glasgow’s airport in Scotland and the attempted bombing of a London nightclub the same year. Propane gas and gasoline were used in all three incidents.”

UPDATE (1:40 AM): “The attempt was to kill Americans”

US Attorney General Eric Holder spoke at a press conference moments ago to officially announce the arrest. Holder noted that the Faisal was at JFK airport attempting to board a flight to Dubai. He called the investigation into the case “multifaceted” and “aggressive” and that “it is important that the American people remain vigilant… any American who notices suspicious activity should report it to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.” Video of the press conference below:

Update #3: The BBC has a profile of Shahzad. He’s 30, is married with two children, and lived in Connecticut.

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  • Sunnyr

    Take THAT, Bloomberg, you blithering IDIOT! Congrats to NYPD, and the Fed for a great job. Eric Holder can go straight to Hell. What did HE have to do with it? pfft!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jonathan-A-Cohen/1421861353 Jonathan A Cohen

    Sunnyr: Just whom do you think/believe “The Feds” report to? AG Eric Holder.

  • JunkJunk

    Jonathan,

    Sunnyr is experiencing what we would call “blind hatred.”

    Next, (s)he’ll be calling for the government to take their hands off his/her Medicare…

  • ImNotBlue

    Nice! +1 more for the good guys! (That is, the folks trying to protect and defend America…)

    Anyone want to play the “How will the haters spin this “game?

    Will the new mantra be:
    (A) The Obama Administration succeeds in preventing another attack (ignoring that once again, the attack would have happened, had the attacker not failed… IOW the plan wasn’t actually foiled)
    (B) It’s all Bush’s fault… for some reason
    (C) In Arizona nobody would have reported the SUV in the first place… even though that doesn’t make any sense or reflect the actual written law, AND is simply an unrelated diversion
    (D) Sarah Palin
    (E) All of the above

  • tigerprez

    Who knew that there were Pakistani teabaggers?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Brian-Rogiers/1426705964 Brian Rogiers

    Have they determined his views on the new Health Care Legislation yet?

  • Big_F-ing_Deal

    “Anyone want to play the “How will the haters spin this “game?”

    You mean like you just did?

  • errxn

    Wait, it wasn’t a “teabagger”? Let the mourning begin at MSNBC.

  • annejaa

    I really don’t understand why our Government is not taking any action against them after they got these much of proofs and evidences that this person is the only responsible person for this attack.
    r4i sdhc

  • The Real Royal King

    Why couldn’t you have just stopped with the positive, INB? This was a great catch. Thanks in part to the infrastructure W set up and thanks in part to President Obama’s Administration’s efficiency and professionalism. We had an ordinary American who helped. Isn’t that sufficient. Indeed, isn’t that the whole story. Why you gratuitous cynicism. It’s out of place here.

  • The Real Royal King

    Hopefully, we all learned a lesson: Wait for the story to develop. Even for bloggers, it is irresponsible to spread misinformation and create hysteria. Our fellow commenter, Jeff Merrill, is perhaps the most famous for this, the consummate nervous Nellie anxious to share his overwhelming fear and crippling ignorance with all, but you’ll also recall that Michelle was touting the false story about an illegal alien murdering the Arizona rancher, Krentz. Presumably she knew this because of reliable sources which told her that the alien in question was munching on a burrito with one hand and holding down his sombrero with another as he was fleeing back to the border. Of course, we now know the primary suspect is a neighboring Anglo rancher with some long-standing grudge. The lesson: Be Calm. Carry On. The truth will come out in due course, usually sooner rather than later.

  • Integr8d

    Pakistani…

    Blowback. Anyone heard of it?

  • scamp844

    The Real Royal King says:
    May 4, 2010 at 4:04 am
    Hopefully, we all learned a lesson: Wait for the story to develop. Even for bloggers, it is irresponsible to spread misinformation and create hysteria. Our fellow commenter, Jeff Merrill, is perhaps the most famous for this, the consummate nervous Nellie anxious to share his overwhelming fear and crippling ignorance with all, but you’ll also recall that Michelle was touting the false story about an illegal alien murdering the Arizona rancher, Krentz. Presumably she knew this because of reliable sources which told her that the alien in question was munching on a burrito with one hand and holding down his sombrero with another as he was fleeing back to the border. Of course, we now know the primary suspect is a neighboring Anglo rancher with some long-standing grudge. The lesson: Be Calm. Carry On. The truth will come out in due course, usually sooner rather than later.

    You mean like you quoting an article that had as a reference an unnamed “high level official”. The story has been discredited by the sheriff involved in the investigation. http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2010/05/04/20100504arizona-rancher-killed-irks-sheriff.html

  • timzank

    Adkins? Adkins? Sticking to that “Tim Mcviegh” theory Einstein??

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

    Tim? Tim? Still too ignorant to recognize it could as easily have been Hutaree or McVeigh/Koresh/Stack like? Still too stupid to recognize the tea baggers are America haters, Peewee?

  • timzank

    Sucks to be wrong doesn’t it? Especially when you’re so vocal about it. Next time you might want to just hold off so you look like less of an ass, oh wait a minute, nevermind.
    heh heh heh…

  • writer

    Now Adkins says it ‘could’ have been a tea bagger. And it ‘could’ have been Bill Ayers. And it ‘could’ have been Mary Poppins. Talk about a hater.

  • MichelleF

    tigerprez says:
    May 4, 2010 at 2:12 am
    Who knew that there were Pakistani teabaggers?

    In the words of larry the cable guy, “I don’t care who you are, that’s funny!”

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  • MichelleF

    but you’ll also recall that Michelle was touting the false story about an illegal alien murdering the Arizona rancher, Krentz.

    Um King, that is what every major news outlet was saying. And btw, I don’t think it’s the whole story until they acknowledge that this was radical islam, which they have SO much trouble doing. They are MORE than willing to say if it’s a christian for some reason.

  • MichelleF

    King,
    I said the major outlets were reported is was likely a illegal alien. I was going to post several, but I’ll stop with the left as you come MSMBC

    PHOENIX – Cattle rancher Rob Krentz often helped illegal immigrants he found stranded on his sprawling Arizona ranch.

    Then two weeks ago, he and his dog were gunned down shortly after he reported spotting someone who appeared to be in trouble. Foot tracks were followed from the shooting scene about 20 miles south, to the Mexico border, and authorities suspect an illegal immigrant.

    So it’s the authorities that came to that conclusion, not me.

  • writer

    Has the King ever been known to ignore facts and make statements based solely on his own bias?

  • MichelleF

    No King would never just jump to a conclusion of say racism over every little thing.

  • Barney

    Hey Bloomberg, you imbecile, why do you think the Muslim terrorsit is upset about the healthcare bill?

    Oh BTW..that terrorist ??…

    ..registered Democrat….true story

  • MichelleF

    An Islamic terrorist named Faisal Shahzad is the Time Square bomber according to media reports. He is Muslim of Pakistani heritage with dual citizenship in the United States, a registered Democrat in the state of Connecticut who may be an Obama donor. He was recently naturalized as a U.S. citizen under the Obama administration’s lenient open door policy.

    That’s for you libs who love to say it’s a conservative tea-bagger everytime something like this happens. Which reminds me, has anyone seen bill adkins?

  • writer

    With eyes glazed over, Adkins stares into space and repeats over and over, “It COULD have been a tea bagger. It COULD have been a tea bagger!”

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  • Grammie

    Shahzad Faisal

    Actually, I heard Bill is in a frenzy right now trying to make “Shahzad Faisal” an anagram for “Tea Party”.

    I was told that he thinks he’s close as soon as he figures out that secret racist code that all Tea Partiers use to communicate with each other.

    Buck up, Bill! In your dreams every night Faisal can be a Tea Partier festooned with tea bags on his white robe and pointy hood. Sweet dreams, no?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

    Oh, Grammie! You care!! What you can’t handle is that it could just as easily have been a tea bagger or any other right winger, Hutaree, Joseph Andrew Stack, the Pentagon or Holocaust Museum shooter, someone from Storm Front or even the last vestige of a cult i.e., Branch Davidian. That it might be a Pakistani immigrant (a legal one, btw) is a might be dodged the bullet for the tea bagger set for all those listed are of that same fringe nut case right wing set you believe are the future of the nation.

  • libra blue

    I just saw a photo of this guy, he doesn’t look “white” to me. I noticed that since he has been identified the MSM has stopped describing the perp as being “white”, which they seemed to have been stressing since the tape surfaced.

  • MichelleF

    Just heard the President talk about the incident. He just couldn’t bring himself to say the words radical islam. Why is that SO hard to say?

    Hey Mr. President. radical islam is at WAR with us. If you can’t bring yourself to admit that, how do we fight it?

  • libra blue

    @MichelleF, ” He just couldn’t bring himself to say the words radical islam.”

    I guess Faisal wasn’t quite the Tim McVeigh “type” BO was hoping for.

  • Grammie

    Bill Adkins says:
    May 4, 2010 at 11:06 am

    It COULD have been but it WAS NOT.

    You burned up the comments up with your trembling with desire comments that it was going to turn out to have been a right winger. I think Michelle nailed that proverbial hair that set you off: he was constantly described as a “white” man. That was all you needed .

    It could have been Bill Ayers but it wasn’t. You bet on a long shot and such nags rarely run in the money. Experience tells us that the most likely perpretrator of this type of terrorist crime is done by the IslamoNazis.

    As I told you in the very beginning you were close minded and rigid from your first comment about this.

  • Olby Sucks

    Has the phony King ever been known to ignore facts and make statements based solely on his own bias?

    Do bears $hit in the woods?

    How long before gibbs or bo come out and say “we need to get all the facts” now that this loser has turned out to be a muslim?

  • felixw

    Just wait. MSNBC will soon have evidence that Shahzad Faisal is connected to the tea parties. He’s probably distantly related to Tim McVeigh too. McVeigh was part Pakistani, wasn’t he? Wasn’t he?

  • MichelleF

    Um Ted, J Stack, raged against both R’s and D’s, so let’s stop repeating that he was some tea-partier, OK?

    And the Pentagon shooter was a REGISTERED DEMOCRAT!!

  • MichelleF

    Sorry that’s for Bill, not Ted. They say basically the same things so I’m constantly confusing the 2.

  • writer

    Poor Adkins. “It could have been a tea bagger! It could have been a tea bagger!” How pathetic.

  • felixw

    It would hardly be worth mentioning that Faisal Shahzad is a registered Democrat, if it wasn’t for the Left’s 24/7 propaganda campaign trying to hype a bogus connection between conservatives and violence. But here’s the difference: when Rachel Maddow wants to connect rightwingers to violence she needs to go back to the last century for an example. If conservatives want to respond by showing a Democrat car bomber, they merely need to point to this morning’s newspaper.

    Probably would be wise for Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann and all the other leftist pundits who are promoting their phony propaganda to stop the smears. And until they do, people like me will be justified in presenting the long and growing list of violent leftists as a mark against the Democrats.

  • ImNotBlue

    Big_F-ing_Deal says:
    May 4, 2010 at 3:02 am

    “Anyone want to play the “How will the haters spin this “game?”

    You mean like you just did?

    Kinda…? What’s your point? I’m trying to speculate what the narrative will be now that the guy was caught. You can play this game for the left AND for the right. Fun for the whole family!

    The Real Royal King says:
    May 4, 2010 at 3:50 am

    Why you gratuitous cynicism. It’s out of place here.

    Yeah… this is no place for cynicism, sarcasm, or political opinion. I can only assume you meant to be ironic… otherwise you’re grossly uninformed… on yet another topic.

    The Real Royal King says:
    May 4, 2010 at 4:04 am

    That’s funny… I didn’t see your criticism of Bill Adkins, or “.”. I wonder why?

    How can you be so hypocritical, and yet so transparent in your efforts. I mean, it’s like you’re not even trying anymore. The lies are the same, but you’re not even trying to cover your tracks.

    Bill Adkins says:
    May 4, 2010 at 11:06 am

    Wow… that’s pretty impressive, Bill. The guy had nothing to do with what you speculated, no relevance or connection… yet you’re still blaming them, saying it “could have been.” Wow! Even when you’re 100% wrong, you still think you’re right. Amazing!

  • RazorsEdge

    RRK,

    You should read/listen to your own advice on waiting for a story to develop. You called out another commenter on spreading as you stated a false story on an illegal killing rancher Krentz.

    How do you know it’s false? Because the AZ daily star parsed their words in a story and then yesterday backtracked their story that they did not mean lead suspect was American? They backtracked the story to state lead suspect is an illegal and looking for suspect in the US. AP reiterated that yesterday as well, stating officials still tracking and believe Krentz killer an illegal.

    Point? None of us knows the “false story”. We just know know what has been reported and who backtracked on their stories.

  • Big_F-ing_Deal

    “I just saw a photo of this guy, he doesn’t look “white” to me. I noticed that since he has been identified the MSM has stopped describing the perp as being “white”, which they seemed to have been stressing since the tape surfaced.”

    That’s because once the suspect is found there really is no need to broadcast a description every time.

    Except on Fox of course, who will make great hay out of the fact that he is not White to appease racists like you.

  • writer

    Aren’t many on the left racists, too, assuming it HAD to be a white tea partier behind it? (ala Bill Adkins)

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

    Oh, I see — all Teabaggers ARE white? And here the teabaggers touted their diversity with a few african american teabaggers. But now it’s a all white club, right? Then of course, you disqualify Joseph Andrew Stack the teabagger homicide pilot from your all white club because he’s a gasp registered democrat. But the teabaggers say their non-partisan and there are a lot of teabagger democrats in their all white club. Seems like a lot of dumbass teabaggers out there (ala writer).

  • writer

    Bill, when it comes to being a dumbass, you’re the expert. No matter what color tea baggers are, you were dead ass wrong about this latest attack, and you can’t admit it. Instead you keep whining that it ‘could’ have been a tea bagger. Yeah, and it ‘could’ have been you. Are you such an idiot that even after it’s clear who placed the bomb, you’re going to keep up with your tea bagger whining? Evidently.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

    I’m not ‘teabagger whining,’ writer – I’m responding to your post above – it’s only about two above this one, did you already forget it? You’re the teabagger that brought it up. And I wasn’t ‘dead ass wrong,’ I simply pointed out what you can’t tand, that it could just as easily have been a teabagger.

  • felixw

    Keep on trying Bill. But your propaganda won’t convince anyone. The violence these days — in this instance, as in so many others — is coming from registered Democrats. I’m sorry the facts don’t fit your MSNBC “narrative.” Maybe you should consider another news network.

  • libra blue

    @Big_F-ing_Deal, “That’s because once the suspect is found there really is no need to broadcast a description every time.”

    They, including BO, are being careful not to give a truthful description of this guy as a radical Islamist either.

    If anyone is a racist it is Barack “typical white person” Obama and his sidekick Eric Holder. And let’s not forget his racist lap dogs Roland Martin, Al “Tawana Brawley” Sharpton and Rev. “chicken” Wright either.

  • errxn
  • Big_F-ing_Deal

    You never disappoint, libra white.

  • writer

    Bill, that post above was referring to the way you assume every crime committed on earth is committed by a tea partier. And you and your ilk are always saying they’re all white. But to stop you from foaming, I’ll toss you a bone and use your ‘logic’. Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, and John Wayne Gacy were all tea partiers. And if they weren’t, at least they COULD have been. There, feel better now? (Someone get the rubber bit before Bill swallows his tongue.)

  • Helix

    Just on a side note, the Hutaree militia members were all quietly released by a judge(until trial) due to lack of evidence, after a month of searching by the FBI, and other agencies. Compare this with a real Muslim terrorist who deserved a cell next to the underwear bomber and an entry in the amateur hour hall of fame for his smoking SUV. Good thing the Koran doesn’t include bomb-making instructions. I was going to suggest waterboarding F.S. with bacon grease, but he seems to be spilling the beans on his fellow criminals in Pakistan quite nicely already. So once again there is a failure to connect the dots on a politically motivated arrest on the Hutaree (as Tea party stand-ins) and the real attack is yet another Muslim. Surprise, surprise.

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  • Teabagger

    Look at all the people so concerned about facts gleefully throwing around the idea that this guy was a registered Democrat after right wing blogs and radio spewed it out all over.

    You people just ate that up didn’t you? Your talking heads on the radio would never lie to YOU? They stand for truth and the American way, right?

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