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Times Square Bombing Suspect Ordered Held Without Bond by NY Court


Faisal Shahzad (file photo)
Faisal Shahzad (file photo)

Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistani American who allegedly tried to detonate a car bomb in New York's Time Square, made his first appearance in a U.S. court late Tuesday. Police have been chasing down leads he is reported to have already provided. But as National Security advisor James Jones and CIA chief Leon Panetta traveled to Pakistan, analysts were raising questions about which Pakistani militants might have trained Shahzad and how the failed bombing will affect US-Pakistan relations.

It's been more than two weeks since Pakistani-American Faisal Shahzad allegedly attempted to detonate a bomb in New York City's crowded Times Square.

Media reports say police are following leads Shahzad himself provided.

Some Muslims say they are feeling the heat.

This man says the FBI raided his home and downloaded information from his children's computers, loaded with cartoons.

Reporter: "Do you know why they targeted you?"
Man: "Yes, because my name is Muhammed and I am from Pakistan."

On raids in several states, FBI agents have taken at least three people into custody.

Shahzad reportedly told police he picked up $4,000 from this Dunkin Donuts shop outside of New York City.

Owner of the Donut Shop:
"It's one thing to get the education to get the bomb," she said. "It's another thing to fund it."

US officials say Shahzad has told investigators he received bombmaking training in Pakistan. The U.S. administration has blamed the Pakistani Taliban, an umbrella for radical groups that oppose the Pakistani state.

Philip Mudd, former chief of the FBI's National Security Division, says the Pakistani Taliban, based in Pakistan's tribal areas, has drawn close to Al Qaida and now has international aspirations.

"When they become infected with the al-Qaida bug, their idea of who they should target as an enemy changes," said Philip Mudd. "In this case we have a Pakistani group that in the past would have targeted Pakistanis or maybe Americans in Afghanistan and now because of its affiliation with al-Qaida says, let me target Americans in New York City."

Mudd suspects that increased pressure on the Pakistani Taliban in the form of US drone attacks could have prompted militants to directly target the US.

But he doubts that Shahzad, an American whose father was a senior officer in Pakistan's airforce, would have received training from top militants.

"You don't have to have access to high levels of al-Qaida or the Taliban to get rudimentary tradecraft and bomb-making training," he said. "The organization doesn't have to expose its inner-most secrets to pull in somebody from New York and say here's how to hook up some propane tanks."

After the failed bombing, President Obama visited police in New York and congratulated them for catching Shahzad.

But Pakistan's operations against the Pakistani Taliban, in the border area with Afghanistan, may have been insufficient in the eyes of US officials, analysts say.

In light of the Pakistani Taliban's alleged involvement, some speculate there could be a shift in US policy toward Pakistan.

Lisa Curtis is an analyst at the Heritage Foundation:

"When somebody like Shahzad is easily able to find training and inspiration and easily connect up with these various militant groups in Pakistan, it shows that there is a certain level of tolerance for terrorist groups in the country," said Lisa Curtis.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said there will be consequences for Pakistan if Pakistani-based terrorists launch a successful attack on U.S. soil. But she did not say what those repercussions would be.

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