Shahzad appears in court

Then he continued to talk to federal authorities, providing what they have called valuable intelligence.

On Tuesday, that extraordinary routine — which has kept him out of a courtroom and out of public eye — was interrupted. Faisal Shahzad, who attempted to detonate a car bomb on May 1 in Times Square, appeared in court for the first time, represented by a lawyer.

But the tension and drama that led up to the brief proceeding, including a sweep of the packed fifth-floor courtroom that cleared mobs of reporters and spectators so the room could be secured, far overshadowed the substance of the nine-minute hearing.

Indeed, Shahzad, 30, a former financial analyst who was raised in a military family in Pakistan, spoke only one word — “yes” — during his appearance in Manhattan federal court, confirming that the information in an affidavit was the truth.

Calm in court

He seemed calm and looked intently at Magistrate Judge James C Francis IV, who at one point read him his rights, including his right to remain silent, and warned him that anything he said could be used against him.

As Shahzad was led into the courtroom, the buzz of conversation among reporters, lawyers and spectators suddenly ceased. The room became so still that the scratch of courtroom artists could be heard.

Clad in a gray sweatshirt and sweat pants, Shahzad sat beside his court-appointed lawyer, Julia L Gatto. Across the courtroom, the prosecution table was crowded with four assistant attorneys and Andrew P Pachtman, the FBI agent who swore out the complaint charging Shahzad with five felonies.

Judge Francis asked whether he had waived speedy presentiment in the interim. “That’s correct, your honour,” assistant attorney Randall W Jackson said.

Jackson told the judge that the government was seeking to detain Shahzad. Gatto did not oppose that request, although she left open the possibility of applying later for release on bond. Shahzad was ordered detained, and he is now being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in Manhattan.

Gatto asked the judge to order that the Federal Bureau of Prisons make sure Shahzad was provided with halal meals, consistent with a Muslim diet.