Faisal Shahzad charged with terrorism

NEW YORK: The Pakistani-American arrested over last month’s botched car bombing in New York’s Times Square was formally charged on Thursday with “attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and terrorism.”

Faisal Shahzad, 30, has been in custody since his arrest at New York’s John F Kennedy airport on May 3 as he was pulled off a flight to Dubai two days after allegedly leaving a Nissan Pathfinder packed with a homemade explosive device parked in the city’s busy theatre district.

The ten-count indictment handed down on Thursday by a federal grand jury linked Shahzad to the Pakistani Taliban, saying that he had received explosives training in Waziristan, a Taliban and Al-Qaeda stronghold on the Afghan border.

“The facts alleged in this indictment show that the Pakistani Taliban facilitated Faisal Shahzad’s attempted attack on American soil,” said Attorney General Eric Holder.

“Our nation averted serious loss of life in this attempted bombing, but it is a reminder that we face an evolving threat that we must continue to fight with every tool available to the government.”

The charges included attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, attempted act of terrorism transcending national boundaries, attempted use of a destructive device in a terrorist conspiracy and other conspiracy, explosives and weapons related charges.

The most serious charges carry mandatory sentences of life in prison if Shahzad is found guilty.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19^th, 2010.