Faisal Shahzad Indicted On 10 Counts

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Faisal Shahzad Indicted On 10 Counts
UNITED STATES - 17 JUNE 2010

Authorities Add Five More Charges To Initial Indictment From Last Month

NEW YORK ―Faisal Shahzad, the 30-year-old Pakistani man accused of attempting to detonate a car bomb in busy Times Square, was indicted on 10 terrorism and weapons counts Thursday.

He's expected to be arraigned Monday at noon.

"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 indictment filed today charges Shahzad with 10 offenses which carry the following potential penalties:

Count 1 – Attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, life in prison.

Count 2 – Conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, life in prison.

Count 3 – Possession of a firearm during and in relation to a conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, life in prison.*

Count 4 – Attempted act of terrorism transcending national boundaries, life in prison.

Count 5 – Conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries, life in prison.

Count 6 – Attempted use of a destructive device during and in relation to a conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries, life in prison.*

Count 7 – Transportation of an explosive, 10 years in prison.

Count 8 – Conspiracy to transport an explosive, 10 years in prison.

Count 9 – Attempted destruction of property by fire and explosive, 20 years in prison.*

Count 10 – Conspiracy to destroy property by fire and explosive, 20 years in prison.*

Shahzad was arrested two days after the May 1 bombing attempt. He was taken into custody at JFK Airport after boarding a plane heading to Dubai.

It also came on the same day CBS 2 HD learned that Shahzad had ambitions to commit further attacks -- at the World Financial Center just blocks away from ground zero, at the bustling Grand Central Terminal and in Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown, as well as the Sikorsky plant in Stratford, Conn.

"I believe the entire United States has become a new front in that we're going to find more and more instances of al Qaeda and al Qaeda affiliates recruiting people lawfully in the United States," said Rep. Peter King, R-Long Island.

Thus far, Shahzad's cooperation has led to raids and arrests across the Northeast, including Long Island. Congressman King said the battle front in the war on terror has clearly shifted to our shores, and Suffolk County is a primary area of concern.

"There has been some concern among law enforcement for quite a while now about Suffolk County, about some locations in Suffolk County and some of the individuals in Suffolk County," Rep. King said.

King isn't saying al Qaeda operatives are living on Long Island, but he said it's not surprising that Shahzad picked up money for his plot at a Dunkin' Donuts shop in Ronkonkoma.

The U.S. Attorney requested Tuesday Shahzad be held without bail, something his attorneys did not contest. He is expected to continue cooperating.

This undated booking photo released by the U.S. Marshal's Service shows Faisal Shahzad, the man accused of plotting a car bombing in New York's Times Square.



Source: CBS Broadcasting Inc.

 

[Spitfighter]

Swift justice.

And to think it took us more than a year and a half to prosecute Kasab...

Pathetic.

 

[S_O_C_O_M]

Swift justice.

And to think it took us more than a year and a half to prosecute Kasab...

Pathetic.

Thats how a single murder case typically takes in the U.S.

See: Casey Anthony murder trial in Florida.

 

[notsuperstitious]

DAWN.COM | World | NYC car bomb suspect pleads guilty, calls it 'war'

NEW YORK: Calling himself a Muslim soldier, a defiant Pakistan-born US citizen pleaded guilty Monday to carrying out the failed Times Square car bombing and left a sinister warning that unless the US leaves Muslim lands alone, ''we will be attacking US.''

Faisal Shahzad entered the plea in US District Court in Manhattan just days after a federal grand jury indicted him on 10 terrorism and weapons counts, some of which carry mandatory life sentences. He pleaded guilty to them all.

Widely circulated snapshots of Shahzad, a US-trained financial analyst and married father of two, show him with a neatly trimmed beard, all smiles and looking carefree behind sunglasses or with his American wife. When led into court Monday, he had on a white skull cap and prisoner's uniform, his beard shaggy and his demeanor serious.

US District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum challenged Shahzad repeatedly with questions such as whether he looked at the people in Times Square, especially the children, to see who they were or whether he really built the bomb by himself. He repeatedly insisted he acted without help from others in the US and built the bomb ''all by myself.''

''One has to understand where I'm coming from,'' Shahzad said calmly. ''I consider myself ... a Muslim soldier.''

The 30-year-old described his effort to set off a bomb in an SUV he parked in Times Square on May 1, saying he chose the warm Saturday night because it would be crowded with people he could injure or kill. He said he conspired with the Pakistan Taliban, which provided more than $15,000 to fund his operation and five days of explosives training late last year and early this year, just months after he became a US citizen.

He explained that he packed his vehicle with three separate bomb components, hoping to set off a fertilizer-fueled bomb packed in a gun cabinet, a set of propane tanks and gas canisters rigged with fireworks to explode into a fireball. He also revealed he was carrying a folding assault rifle for ''self-defense.''

Shahzad said he lit a fuse and waited two to five minutes for the bomb to erupt.

''I was waiting to hear a sound but I didn't hear a sound. ... So I walked to Grand Central and went home,'' he said.

The judge repeatedly interrupted Shahzad, including when he said his plot was to retaliate against the US and the forces of up to 50 other countries that had ''attacked the Muslim lands.''

Cedarbaum said: ''But not the people who were walking in Times Square that night. Did you look around to see who they were?''

''Well, the people select the government,'' Shahzad said. ''We consider them all the same. The drones, when they hit ... '' Cedarbaum interrupted again: ''Including the children?''

Shahzad answered: ''Well, the drone hits in Afghanistan and Iraq, they don't see children, they don't see anybody. They kill women, children, they kill everybody. It's a war, and in war, they kill people. They're killing all Muslims.''

Later, he added: ''I am part of the answer to the US terrorising the Muslim nations and the Muslim people. And, on behalf of that, I'm avenging the attack. Living in the United States, Americans only care about their own people, but they don't care about the people elsewhere in the world when they die.''

Cedarbaum asked him if he understood some charges carried mandatory life sentences and that he might spend the rest of his life in prison. He said he did.

At one point, she asked him if he was sure he wanted to plead guilty.

He said he wanted ''to plead guilty and 100 times more'' to let the US know that if it did not get out of Iraq and Afghanistan, halt drone attacks and stop meddling in Muslim lands, ''we will be attacking US''

Sentencing was scheduled for October 5.

The Connecticut resident was arrested trying to leave the country May 3, two days after the bomb failed to ignite near a Broadway theater.

Authorities said Shahzad immediately cooperated, delaying his initial court appearance for two weeks as he spilled details of a plot meant to sow terror in the world-famous Times Square when it was packed with thousands of potential victims.

The bomb apparently sputtered, emitting smoke that attracted the attention of an alert street vendor, who notified police, setting in motion a rapid evacuation of blocks of a city still healing from the shock of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

According to the indictment issued last week, Shahzad received a total of $12,000 prior to the attack from the Pakistani Taliban through cash drop-offs in Massachusetts and Long Island.

Attorney General Eric Holder said after the plea: ''Faisal Shahzad plotted and launched an attack that could have led to serious loss of life, and today the American criminal justice system ensured that he will pay the price for his actions.'' – AP

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Well, the people select the government,'' Shahzad said. ''We consider them all the same.

Thats just BS, if he really wanted to attack people who elect the govt, then why was he trying to bomb times square frequented by non US citizens - tourists? Thats just BS meant for consumption of people who thrive on such BS and no amount of any reasoning has any impact on then. For them these people are just pawns that have no value. Inhuman.