2010 Times Square car bombing attempt: Difference between revisions

40°45′29″N 73°59′09″W / 40.758056°N 73.985768°W / 40.758056; -73.985768

2010 Times Square car bomb attempt
On the right, the dark-blue Nissan Pathfinder SUV in Times Square, 27 minutes after the attempted attack. The vehicle's rear hazard lights are on.
Location	1 Astor Plaza, 1515 Broadway, Times Square, New York City, United States
Coordinates	40°45′29″N 73°59′09″W / 40.758056°N 73.985768°W / 40.758056; -73.985768
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 mounted New York City Police Department officer in Times Square, New York City (NYC). Two nearby street vendors had alerted the officer to the threat, after they spotted smoke coming from a vehicle.^[1][2] The bomb had been ignited, but failed to explode, and was disarmed before it caused any casualties.^[1][3][4]

Two days later, federal agents arrested Faisal Shahzad, a 30-year-old Pakistani-born resident of Bridgeport, Connecticut, who had become a U.S. citizen in April 2009.^[5] He had boarded Emirates Flight 202 to Dubai at John F. Kennedy International Airport, but was taken off the plane while it was at the gate, before it taxied away.^[5][6] He admitted his role in the attempted bombing and said that he had trained at a Pakistani terrorist training camp, according to U.S. officials.^[7]

United States Attorney General Eric Holder said that Shahzad had been the driver of the SUV that contained the car bomb, and that Shahzad's intent had been "to kill Americans."^[5] Shahzad was charged in federal court in Manhattan on May 4 with terrorism and attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.^[5] Seven or eight people were arrested by Pakistani officials in connection with the plot.^[5]

President Barack Obama said that Americans "will not cower in fear" as a result of the attempt, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg said: "We will not tolerate any bias or any backlash against Muslim New Yorkers",^[8] and NYC Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said that to terrorists, "New York is America, and they want to come back to kill us."^{[9][8][10][8]}

The suspect's vehicle, a dark blue 1993 Nissan Pathfinder sport utility vehicle with dark tinted windows, entered Times Square at approximately 6:28 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Saturday evening, May 1, 2010, as seen on surveillance video. Two minutes later, two street vendors noticed smoke drifting from the vents near the back seat of the unoccupied vehicle, which was parked with its engine running and its hazard lights on, and heard firecrackers going off inside.^[11][12][13]

The street vendors, T-shirt seller Lance Orton, 56, and handbag seller Duane Jackson, 58, alerted a mounted policeman.^[14] The vehicle had been parked on a tourist-crowded block at the eastern corner of 1 Astor Plaza, near the entrance to the Minskoff Theatre which was showing Disney's musical version of The Lion King (intersection of West 45th Street and Broadway).^{[15][16][17][18][19]} The police officer who then approached the Pathfinder to investigate, observed the smoke, canisters, and the smell of gunpowder.^[20] The officer immediately called for backup, a bomb disposal team, and the NYC Fire Department.^[21]

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.^[22] While many Broadway theaters had their opening curtains delayed, all of the shows gave their performances that night.^[23]

The vehicle was set ablaze, but did not detonate.^[18] Upon arrival, the bomb disposal team used a remote-controlled robotic device to break out a window of the vehicle, and explore its contents.

The team found in the rear of the vehicle: two alarm clocks with batteries that apparently were fashioned as triggering devices, connected by electrical wires to two full red 5-gallon cans of gasoline, sandwiching 40+ consumer-grade M-88 firecrackers inside a 20-ounce metal container (wrapped in duct tape, with its end removed), gunpowder, three full 20-gallon propane tanks, and a green metal gun locker that contained a) a metal pressure cooker pot containing a thicket of wires that also connected to the alarm clocks; b) 8 plastic bags with approximately Template:Lb to kg of urea-based fertilizer; and c) 120 M-88s.^{[18][24][25][26][27][28]} A bomb disposal expert with information on the contents opined that the design of the device was more consistent with that of an incendiary device than that of a traditional bomb.^[3]

The improvised explosive device's ignition source malfunctioned, however, and failed to set it off as intended.^[3] Had it detonated, Kelly said the bomb would have cut the car in half and: "would have caused casualties, a significant fireball."^[3][29] Police said the bomb would likely also have sprayed shrapnel, and killed or wounded many people.^[18][30]

NYC Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the bomb components were all "locally available materials."^[25][31] At least three people other than Faisal Shahzad were involved in buying the bomb materials, sources told the New York Daily News.^[32]

Investigators examined the vehicle, initially at a forensics center in Jamaica, Queens, for fibers, fingerprints, hair, and DNA evidence, and attempted began tracking down where the bomb materials were purchased.^[26] The Pathfinder and bomb components were taken to the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, for analysis.^[26][33]

Investigators uncovered a piece of paper, fingerprints, or possibly both that also indicated international ties, according to a federal official.^[18] The vehicle identification number (VIN) plate, which reflects a unique serial number that is used to identify individual motor vehicles, had been removed from the car's dashboard, but police retrieved the VIN from the bottom of its engine block.^[26][28] That led investigators to the SUV's last registered owner, and then to the person who had purchased the vehicle.^[26] Law enforcement officials tracked Shahzad by recovering his pre-paid disposable cell phone's number from the cell phone of the female college student who sold him the Pathfinder, and running it through a number of databases.^{[32][34][35][36]} They determined that the phone had been used for calls to and from a Pakistani telephone number associated with Shahzad.^[35] They also traced his e-mail address from an email that he had sent to the seller’s computer.^[34][37] A review of his phone call records revealed that he had received a series of calls from Pakistan directly before and after he purchased the Pathfinder, and raised investigators' concerns that he was acting in concert with people overseas.^[34][28] The phone had also been used to call a fireworks store in rural Pennsylvania.^[28] Sets of keys left in the Pathfinder included a key to Shahzad's house in Connecticut, and his personal car, an Isuzu Rodeo.^[28]

The Pathfinder's license plates also 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.^[3] E-ZPass and other camera records at toll plazas are being reviewed in an effort to identify where the vehicle entered Manhattan.^[38]

Law enforcement officials reviewed 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.^[3][33]

Investigators also examined 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.^[18]

The police initially looked for a white male in his 40s who was seen on surveillance footage, changing his shirt in Shubert Alley and looking over his shoulder near where the vehicle was parked.^{[18][26][31][39]} By May 4, however, he was no longer a suspect or of interest to the police.^[40] Investigators also looked for another person captured on video running north on Broadway, away from the area.^[18]

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."^[31] 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 corporate headquarters of Viacom in 1 Astor Plaza. The company owns the Comedy Central channel which airs the show.^[38][41] 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 al-Qaeda failed bombing attempt of 2007.^[41][42] NYC 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." NYC Mayor Bloomberg said, "So far, there is no evidence that any of this has anything to do with one of the recognized terrorist organizations."^[43]

Senior Obama administration officials said a flood of international and domestic clues suggested a plot involving more than one person.^[18] An FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force took over the investigation on May 3 as indications of a possible international connection increased.^[18] The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Joint Terrorism Task Force provided assistance to the NYPD.^[44]

On May 3, federal authorities identified a person of interest in the attack.^[18][45] At 11:45 p.m. EDT, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested 30-year-old Faisal Shahzad.^[5][46] Shahzad was taken into custody at John F. Kennedy International Airport, as he was on board Emirates Flight 202 to Dubai which had pulled away from the gate and was taxiing towards the runway, before it was instructed to return.^{[18][26][33][47][48]} His destination was Islamabad, Pakistan.^[26] There are reports that he was allowed to board the plane in order to investigate the possibility of accomplices.^[49]

He was born in 1979 in either Karachi or Kashmir, Pakistan.^{[18][24][50][51][52]} He comes from a wealthy, well-educated family, and his father was an Air Force vice marshall.^[53][54] He has a Karachi identification card, a document which reflects Pakistani residency, and his family is from northwestern Pakistan, according to Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik.^[26]

In December 1998 he was granted a U.S. F-1 student visa at age 19.^[55] He arrived in the U.S. on January 16, 1999, studied at Southeastern University in Washington, D.C., and then transferred in 2000 to the University of Bridgeport, where he received a B.A. in computer science and engineering.^[55][56] He worked in the accounting department of the Elizabeth Arden cosmetics company from January 31, 2002, to June 14, 2006, when he left for another job.^[57] In April 2002 he was granted an H1-B visa for skilled workers.^[55][58] He remained in the U.S. for three years on that visa, earning an M.B.A at the University of Bridgeport in the summer of 2005.^[55] He was granted a green card in January 2006.^[51]

He worked for about three years, from 2006 up until June 2009 when he quit, as a junior financial analyst in the Norwalk, Connecticut office of the Affinion Group, a financial marketing and consulting company.^[59][60][61]

Shahzad lived in a single-family house in Shelton, Connecticut, just outside Bridgeport for about three years until he defaulted on a $218,400 mortgage, was sued by the bank in September 2009, and the bank foreclosed on his home.^[33][62] On October 20, 2008, he reported his marriage to Huma Asif Mian, a Colorado-born American citizen.^[51][55][63] He became a U.S. citizen through his marriage to her on April 17, 2009.^[26][64] Shahzad moved out around May 2009, with his wife following about a month later.^[33] A neighbor said that he and his wife spoke limited English, and had two young children, a girl and a boy.^[33]

In addition to traveling to Pakistan regularly, "Shahzad has been visiting Middle Eastern countries," according to Minister Malik.^[65] Shahzad had traveled to Dubai before, most recently on June 2, 2009, on an Emirates flight.^[66] On July 3, 2009, he reportedly traveled to Pakistan and is believed to have visited Peshawar, a gateway to the militant-occupied tribal regions of Pakistan, and stayed there from July 7 to July 22.^[66]

While in Pakistan, he said he trained, including explosives bomb-making training, at a terrorist training camp in Waziristan, according to U.S. officials and the complaint against him.^[7][34][67] He spent five months in Pakistan, where his wife is now living.^[18][45][66] CBS News reported that he may have spent at least four months at the camp.^[53]

He returned to the U.S. on February 3, 2010, on an Emirates flight from Dubai.^[26][55][66] Shahzad is believed to have bought the 1993 Nissan Pathfinder on April 24, a week prior to the attempted bombing. The vehicle had been listed in an online Craigslist ad, and he reportedly bought it from a female Connecticut college student for $1,300 (negotiated down from $1,800), which he paid in $100 bills.^{[32][34][47][68]} He reportedly exchanged the cash for the car at a Connecticut shopping center parking lot, where he inspected the interior and cargo area (but not the engine) and declined the offer of a bill of sale.^{[33][35][56][69][70]} He later had the car windows tinted, which made it harder to peer inside.^[56]

The FBI and NYPD searched Shahzad's Bridgeport, Connecticut, two-bedroom apartment at Sheridan Street and Boston Avenue (which he had rented since February 15) on May 4, removing filled plastic bags.^{[26][71][72][73]} Materials related to the bomb were found in his apartment, including boxes that had contained the alarm clocks.^[32][66] Keys that had been found in the Pathfinder opened the door to the home, and in his garage fertilizer and fireworks were found that were similar to those that had been discovered in the vehicle.^[35]

After being arrested, Shahzad directed authorities to his car at the airport.^[74] Several weapons were found, including a Kel-Tec 9mm Sub Rifle 2000, a carbine hybrid of a pistol and a long gun with a folding stock, hand grip, and a rifle barrel, which Shahzad had purchased new in March 2010 in Connecticut for $400, as well as five full magazines of ammunition, according to law enforcement officials.^{[32][66][75][76]}

Attorney General Eric Holder said that Shahzad admitted involvement in the incident and that the bombing attempt "was a terrorist plot," and was providing useful information.^[77][78] The Complaint against Shahzad also indicated that he had admitted to receiving bomb-making instruction in Waziristan, that he brought the Pathfinder to Times Square and attempted to detonate it there.^[28]

Shahzad is being held at Manhattan's Metropolitan Correctional Center.^[30] "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," Attorney General Holder said.^[48]

On May 4, federal prosecutors charged him with five counts, including attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and trying to kill and maim people within the U.S.^[67][28] He faces a life sentence if convicted.^[67]

Representative Jane Harman, a California Democrat and Chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment, said Pakistani officials arrested “alleged facilitators” as part of a “far broader investigation.”^[10] Pakistani authorities arrested a number of suspects in the investigation of the attempted car bombing, including two or three people at a house in Karachi's Nazimabad district where Shahzad is said to have stayed.^[65][77] Pakistani intelligence officials said a man named Tauseef Ahmed, who was a friend of Shahzad, was detained in Karachi in connection with the case.^[48] He had been in touch with Shahzad by email, is believed to have traveled to the U.S. two months prior to the attack to meet with Shahzad.^[53][79] Another man arrested, Muhammad Rehan, had spent time with Shahzad during a recent visit to Pakistan and was arrested in Karachi at a mosque known for links to the militant group Jaish-e-Muhammad.^[79]

NYC 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".^[18] 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."^[18][24]

President Barack Obama was briefed on the incident, and promised federal assistance in the investigation.^[3] On May 4, he called the bomb attempt a "sobering reminder of the times in which we live"^[9] and said that Americans "will not cower in fear" as a result of it^[9]. He telephoned Duane Jackson, one of the vendors, to thank him for alerting police.^[80]

Mayor Bloomberg warned against retribution, saying, "We will not tolerate any bias or any backlash against Muslim New Yorkers."^[8] Commissioner Kelly said that to terrorists, "New York is America, and they want to come back to kill us."^[10]

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".^[81] 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.^[25][38] Several other groups have claimed responsibility, with no evidence or verified data.^[81] Al Jazeera said Pakistani Taliban sources denied being involved.^[82]

Wikinews has related news:

• Bomb scare closes Times Square, New York

• 1973 New York City bomb plot
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• 2008 Times Square bombing
• List of terrorist incidents in 2010
• Terrorism in the United States

• 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 alarm watches in his car with which he intended to bomb Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• Bryant Neal Vinas, U.S. citizen, trained in Waziristan, 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 NYC
• Najibullah Zazi, al-Qaeda member, U.S. resident, trained in Waziristan, Pakistan, pleaded guilty in 2010 of planning suicide bombings near NYC's Grand Central and Times Square subway stations

• Statement of the U.S. Attorneys Office for the SDNY, the FBI, and the NYC Police Dept. on an Arrest in the Times Square Investigation, May 4, 2010
• Complaint, U.S. v. Faisal Shazad, S.D.N.Y., May 4, 2010