Political India: Engaging America

From The Hindu

The State Department on Friday confirmed that arrests had been made in Pakistan relating to the case of Faisal Shahzad, the Times Square bomber currently in custody in the United States.

“There have been some arrests in Pakistan,” Philip Crowley, State Department spokesman, said, in response to a question on the arrest of an army general in Pakistan. The general was allegedly arrested on the charge of withholding information regarding Mr. Shahzad from the authorities.

At a briefing Mr. Crowley also noted, “We just had a high-level visit to Pakistan by General Jones, the National Security Advisor, and Leon Panetta, the CIA Director. We are satisfied with the cooperation that we are receiving with Pakistan in this investigation.”

However he added that regarding the specifics of any arrests that took place, he would have to defer to the Government of Pakistan. In particular Mr. Crowley remained non-committal about recent news that the U.S. embassy in Pakistan sent out about avoiding a local catering company that might have ties to the Taliban.

Labels: catering company, Faisal Shahzad, Hanif Rajput catering, Leon Panetta, Philip Crowley, Taliban, Times Square bomb plot

From The Hindu

“Indiscriminate” drone attacks by the United States in Pakistan might have motivated would-be Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad, Pervez Musharraf, former President of Pakistan, suggested during an interview with a television news channel here.

Speaking to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Mr. Musharraf said such indiscriminate use of the drones was having a negative impact on the Pakistani public because of the collateral damage it produced. He then added, “I wonder [about] the Faisal Shahzad incident – has he been affected by the indiscriminate bombing by the drones?”

Mr. Musharraf also repudiated the suggestion that it was time for the United States to go into Pakistan with ground troops, arguing that the Pakistani military had already succeeded in Swat, Bajaur and South Waziristan.

“Now I believe they are acting in Orakzai Agency, where these Taliban and al-Qaeda have escaped,” he added, however admitting that it was necessary for the Army to “add more force in the form of frontier core, the second line core”.

On Benazir Bhutto

In a strong rebuttal Mr. Musharaff also criticised the findings of the recent United Nations report that had squarely blamed his government for failing to prevent the assassination of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Reacting to the allegation, the former President said, “I do not fully agree with this statement. In fact it was me who warned her about the threat to her. It was I who stopped her from going to that venue once before, to which lots of political aspersions were cast on me, that her movements are being restricted. But she decided to go again.”

He went on to add that all the necessary security had been provided “within the Pakistani environment” and in fact Ms. Bhutto went to the venue safely, addressed the people for one hour safely and got into the car safely. “I think this comment is rather unfair,” he said.

Mr. Musharaff also expressed support for the actions of the Pakistani government in closing down the social networking sites Facebook and YouTube within Pakistan. In that regard he said, “One has to obviously take some measures because people were agitating… You cannot have photographs of the Prophet, leave aside going for cartoons of the Prophet.”

He also noted, “We must understand these are sensitive issues and for the sake of independence of media, liberty of speech, we cannot hurt sensitivities of millions of people. We must not do that. I am against that.”

Labels: Faisal Shahzad, Musharraf, Times Square bomb plot

From The Hindu

Faisal Shahzad, prime suspect in the Times Square bomb plot in New York City earlier this month, appeared before a judge on Tuesday for the first time since his arrest on May 3.

At the hearing Shahzad was notified of five felony charges that had been brought against him, and of the possibility that he might face a sentence of life in prison. He did not contest his continued detention without bail.

One charge on each of the following counts was made against Shahzad: attempting terrorism by attempting to kill people; attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction; using a destructive device in connection with an attempted crime of violence; transporting explosives; and attempting to destroy property with fire and explosives.

Shahzad had thus far not been produced in court after voluntarily waiving his right to arraignment. In the interim period he has been providing “valuable intelligence from which further investigative action has been taken,” according to Preet Bharara, New York federal attorney.

At the hearing Shahzad, represented by federal defence attorney Julia Gatto, only said one word, “Yes,” in response to a question on an affidavit related to his finances. According to reports the judge set the date for his next hearing on June 1. Shahzad was then handcuffed and led from the courtroom in a proceeding that took less than ten minutes.

Shahzad, a Pakistan-born naturalised citizen of the United States, was stopped from fleeing the country on an aircraft from New York’s John F. Kennedy airport moments before his flight was set to take off. His dramatic arrest came days after federal authorities linked him to a Nissan Pathfinder loaded with explosives and parked in the New York’s bustling Times Square.

In the days leading up to his arraignment top U.S. intelligence officials Leon Panetta and James Jones travelled to Pakistan to keep up the pressure on Pakistani authorities investigating Shahzad’s links to terror networks there.

Authorities in the U.S. also recently obtained some insights into Shahzad’s motivation behind the attack when they discovered emails from him that purportedly questioned democracy and favoured an Islamic system of governance in which the state is ruled by Islamic law.

Regarding Shahzad’s email Lisa Curtis, Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, said, even if it was unclear as to which organisations or individuals may have contributed to the development of his violent Islamist worldview, or whether he was self-radicalised through the internet, “We must understand and take more seriously the Islamist ideology and narrative that he spells out and that drives much of the terrorism directed at the U.S. and other nations.”

Labels: Faisal Shahzad, felony charges, Times Square bomb, U.S. intelligence

From The Hindu

The United States has sent two of its top intelligence officials to Pakistan to put greater pressure on its government to investigate the Pakistani connection to the failed Times Square bomb plot of May 2.

In the clearest indication of deep concern in the U.S. over the link between would-be bomber Faisal Shahzad and terror networks in Pakistan, Central Intelligence Agency Director Leon Panetta and National Security Advisor James L. Jones flew out to Pakistan on Monday night in a bid to speed up the investigation.

According to reports quoting administration officials, Mr. Panetta and Mr. Jones plan to discuss efforts to prevent future terrorist attacks in their meetings there. Reports also cited the U.S. government’s intention to ensure “continued Pakistani cooperation in determining what role the Pakistani Taliban may have played in assisting Faisal Shahzad,” the suspected bomber, who is now in custody and providing intelligence on terror networks in Pakistan to U.S. officials.

In this context, National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said in an email on Monday night: “In light of the failed Times Square terrorist attack and other terrorist attacks that trace to the border region, we believe that it is time to redouble our efforts with our allies in Pakistan to close this safe haven and create an environment where we and the Pakistani people can lead safe and productive lives.”

In particular, Washington was said to be keen on an aggressive push by Pakistani authorities to take action against al-Qaeda and groups linked to it, located in the tribal areas.

In a report by the New York Times, one senior administration official was quoted as saying that Mr. Jones “would not threaten the Pakistanis, but would convey the risks to the country’s relationship with the U.S. if a deadly terrorist attack originated there.” He would also “prod them” to take tougher steps against the Taliban and other insurgent groups, the official reportedly said.

Labels: Al-Qaeda, CIA, Faisal Shahzad, Leon Panetta, Pakistani terror groups, Times Square bomb

From The Hindu

Federal authorities investigating Times Square bomb suspect Faisal Shahzad should look into his activities and links in Pakistan, especially given that he had spent five months there prior to the planned attack in New York, according to Lisa Curtis, Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, a think-tank based in Washington.

Speaking to The Hindu Ms. Curtis, formerly with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the CIA and the State Department's South Asia Bureau, said she expected there would be a “serious investigation into his links in Pakistan,” including contact with international terrorist networks in the country and ideological links.

Drawing parallels to such links that the suspects in the London subway bombing case had, Mr. Curtis said that though it was too early to say with certainty whether Shahzad was a ‘lone wolf' or not, U.S. authorities would be likely to look into his connections with not only Al-Qaeda but also its affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Ms. Curtis recently provided expert testimony on Lashkar-e-Taiba at a Congressional hearing during which Congressman Gary Ackerman had noted that the LeT was an organisation of growing scope and ambition and a threat to the U.S. “Pakistan was in a delicate dance with a Frankenstein's monster of its own making... which was now going global,” Mr. Ackerman had said.

Shahzad, a Pakistan-born naturalised citizen of the U.S., was arrested on Monday night following a trace of the Vehicle Identification Number of the Nissan Pathfinder that loaded with explosive materials and parked in Times Square, New York. According to reports the trace led back to a Connecticut woman who had allegedly sold the vehicle to Mr. Shahzad.

A dramatic arrest on the tarmac of New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport followed, which saw the Dubai-bound Emirates flight that Mr. Shahzad was on being recalled to the airport after takeoff.

According to a statement from the White House on Tuesday, President Obama had been briefed regularly about the investigation and was notified of the Shahzad arrest by John Brennan, the administration's top counterterrorism advisor.

Labels: Al-Qaeda, Faisal Shahzad, FBI, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Times Square bomb

From The Hindu

Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistan-born citizen of the United States, was arrested on Monday night in connection with the Times Square bomb incident, even as he tried to board a flight from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Dubai, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

The DoJ said, “At approximately 11:45 P.M. EDT, Faisal Shahzad was taken into custody. Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and detectives of the New York City Police Department arrested Shahzad for allegedly driving a car bomb into Times Square on the evening of May 1, 2010.”

Mr. Shahzad, who is a naturalised U.S. citizen, was stopped from boarding the flight after he was identified by the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection. The DoJ said he would appear in the Manhattan federal court on May 4 to be presented on formal charges.

“We will not rest until every terrorist, whether home-grown or foreign-based, is neutralised and held to account,” said United States Attorney Preet Bharara, FBI Special Agent-in-Charge George Venizelos, and New York City Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly in a joint statement.

Earlier U.S. Attorney-General Eric Holder noted that multiple federal authorities had “worked night and day to find out who was responsible for what would have been a deadly attack had it been successful.” He added, “It is clear that the intent behind this terrorist act was to kill Americans.”

Mr. Holder emphasised the importance of public vigilance to the case: “We continue to gather leads in this investigation, and it is important that the American people remain vigilant,” he said, adding that the vehicle in Times Square was first noticed on Saturday by a citizen who reported it to authorities.

Describing the investigation as “multi-faceted” and “aggressive,” Mr. Holder also hinted at a wider inquiry including foreign entities: “As we move forward, we will focus on not just holding those responsible for it accountable, but also on obtaining any intelligence about terrorist organizations overseas.”

Labels: Faisal Shahzad, Pakistani-American, Terror plot, Times Square