"I was expecting you": NY bomber to arresting US officers


Afp May 08, 2010

NEW YORK: "I was expecting you," the man accused of trying to set off a car bomb in New York's Times Square told US officers who pulled him from a jet airliner that was about to depart New York's Kennedy Airport, ABC News reported Thursday.

The two US Customs officers who collared Faisal Shahzad -- a Pakistani-born US citizen whose poorly made bomb failed to detonate -- told the network he was calm and cooperative when they took him into custody late on Monday.

Called to the front of the Emirates Airlines jet as it was about to depart for Dubai, Shahzad quietly surrendered to the two officers waiting for him. "I was expecting you. I wondered what took so long," Shahzad told Customs Officer Robert McConkie, as he was being escorted out. "I think at some point he realised the jig was up and this was it," McConkie told ABC.

McConkie and the other officer, Paul Casquarelli, said the suspect showed no sign of anger or fear. Casquarelli got a call at 10:55 pm that a "no fly" person might be on the Emirates Airline flight scheduled to leave in five minutes.

Told it was related to the Times Square incident, Casquarelli and McCoskie rushed to the airliner's door and had Shahzad paged over the plane's internal system. The suspect emerged moments later.

"He just had a non-committal look, completely calm, no surprise," Casquarelli told ABC. "He showed absolutely no emotion" and "was totally compliant," McConkie added. The officers ordered Shahzad to step away from the plane door because they did not want the passengers see them cuff him.

"We didn't want to storm onto the plane and frighten the other 200 passengers," McConkie said. Shahzad told the officers about his car, and mentioned the high-powered gun that he left inside.

Fearing the car was booby trapped, a bomb squad rushed to the scene -- and after a tense three hours they declared the situation all clear, the officers told ABC.

Authorities have been questioning Shahzad trying to determine whether the 30-year-old son of a retired air force officer acted alone or had outside help from a larger group when he tried to detonate the car bomb late Saturday.

COMMENTS (1)

Meekal Ahmed | 13 years ago | Reply There was no rush to the door. The plane was already taxying to the take-of runway and was asked by ATC at JFK to "take the next left when able and return to the gate". Please hear the ATC tape.
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