Pak-origin man held in NY bomb plot

Faisal Shahzad, 30, was taken into custody at Kennedy Airport aboard an Emirates flight bound for Dubai that had just pulled away from the gate.  Shahzad had apparently driven to the airport in a white Isuzu Trooper that was found in a parking lot with a handgun inside, an official said.

He has made statements implicating himself, and has told the authorities that he acted alone, a law enforcement official said on Tuesday morning. Attorney General Eric H Holder Jr confirmed Shahzad’s arrest for driving a 1993 Nissan Pathfinder found loaded with gasoline, propane, fireworks and fertiliser into the heart of Times Square on Saturday night.

Dramatic arrest

Shahzad is believed to have bought the vehicle from a Connecticut woman within the last three weeks for $1,300, and it was that transaction that eventually led to his dramatic arrest on the airport tarmac.

While Shahzad said he had acted alone, law enforcement officials have said the investigation is, in the words of one, “very much ongoing,” and the FBI agents and police detectives from the Joint Terrorist Task Force who arrested him have not developed evidence to either prove or disprove his claims. Charges against Shahzad were not announced, but he was expected to be charged in federal court.

“The investigation is ongoing, as are our attempts to gather useful intelligence, and we continue to pursue a number of leads,” Holder said. But it’s clear that the intent behind this terrorist act was to kill Americans, he added.