Accomplice to Times Square bomber pleads guilty

Younis transferred money under "hawala" system not realizing that Faisal Shahzad used the money to build a car bomb.

NEW YORK: A man who unwittingly provided funding for an attempted car bombing at Times Square in New York pleaded guilty Thursday to operating an unlicensed money transfer business.

Mohammad Younis, 45, transferred thousands of dollars in April 2010 under the informal "hawala" system common in the Muslim world, not realizing that one of his customers, Faisal Shahzad, used the money to build a car bomb, the federal prosecutor's office said.

Younis faces up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. Sentencing is due on November 30.

Shahzad, a Pakistani immigrant, was caught soon after his explosive device failed to detonate in busy Times Square on May 1, 2010. He pleaded guilty and said he was aiming to avenge deaths from US missiles fired from drones operating over Pakistan.He was sentenced to life behind bars.