Pakistan Makes Arrests in Times Square Bomb Attempt

Members of the media gather outside the Federal Courthouse in New York, New York, USA, 04 May 2010. Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistani-born U.S. citizen was arrested in the failed attempt to explode a bomb-laden SUV in Times Square. Photo by EPA/BGNES

At least 2 people have been arrested in the southern Pakistan city of Karachi in relation with the bomb attack attempt on Times Square in New York.

According to the Washington Post, which quotes an anonymous Pakistani official, one of those arrested is Tausif Ahmed.

Ahmed reportedly traveled two months ago to the United States to meet with Faisal Shahzad, a US citizen from Pakistan, who was busted at the JFK Airport in New York earlier on Tuesday.

Shahzad is suspected of buying recently a Nissan Pathfinder that was found packed with explosives Saturday night in Midtown Manhattan. The car was set on fire, but a homemade bomb inside failed to detonate.

Pakistani television stations have reported further arrests of people suspect of links to the failed car bomb attempt at Times Square in the central Pakistani city of Faisalabad but the reports have not been verified.

"It is clear the intent behind this terrorist act was to kill Americans," said US Attorney General Eric Holder, as cited by CNN. "We will not rest until we bring everyone responsible to justice."

According to a source familiar with the investigation, investigators believe the plan was an intended terrorist attack to set off explosives in the heart of midtown Manhattan on Saturday night, but the individuals didn't have the expertise to detonate their device.

The Nissan Pathfinder had been sold three weeks ago in a cash deal with no paperwork exchanged, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN earlier Monday. The USD 1,800 deal was closed at a Connecticut shopping mall, where the buyer handed over the money and drove off, the source said.

The seller described the buyer as a man in his late 20s to early 30s, and investigators are checking into phone records between the two, the source said.

A bomb made up of propane tanks, fertilizer and gasoline failed to detonate inside the SUV. New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the device could have produced "a significant fireball" in the heart of Midtown Manhattan on Saturday night had it detonated properly.

Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud appeared on a video released less than 24 hours after the attempt, claiming Taliban fighters were prepared to inflict "extremely painful blows" in major U.S. cities.

But a senior U.S. military official said there was no "credible evidence" at the early stages of the investigation that the Pakistani Taliban was responsible for the Times Square bomb incident.

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