Political India: Engaging America

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