Times Square bomb suspect faces WMD charge

A naturalized U.S. citizen from Pakistanfaces terrorism-related charges in connection with an attempt to set off a car bomb in New York's Times Square.

In a complaint filed Tuesday in Federal Court in Manhattan, authorities said Faisal Shahzad, 30, has confessed to receiving bomb training in Pakistan. They said he claimed he bought an SUV, put a homemade bomb in it, and tried to set off the device in the busy square.

Shahzad has beencharged with five counts, including attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.

He was arrested by FBI agents and New York City police detectives at JFK International Airport in New York at 11:45 p.m. ET on Monday aboard a flight to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, law enforcement officials have said.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called the bombing attempt a "terrorist plot."

Holder said Shahzadhas admitted to being involved in the attempted bombing. Holder also said the manis still being questioned and has already provided useful information to investigators.

Officials later said Shahzad told them he trained at a terrorist camp in Pakistan's tribal region of Waziristan. The Pakistani Taliban, which operates in that area, tried to claim responsibility for Saturday's attempted bombing, but U.S. officials have discounted that claim.

John Pistole, the deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said Shahzad was put on a no-fly list just hours before he was arrested.

AuthoritiesallegeShahzad made his flight reservation on the way to the airport and paid for his ticket in cash. The aircraft he was on had already pulled away from the boarding gate when it was ordered to return so that Shahzad could be arrested.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano declined to discuss how Shahzad managed to get on a flight even though he was on the no-fly list.

One official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Shahzad had claimed to have acted alone.

Officials in Pakistan said at least one person has been detained in connection with the Times Square attempted bombing. An unnamed official said the detained person was a friend of Shahzad. No details were given on the nature of the arrest.

Another official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said several people have been taken into custody.

Shahzad became a U.S. citizen last year, and he recently returned from a five-month trip to Pakistan, where he had a wife, a law enforcement official said.

FBI agents searched a home in Bridgeport, Conn., early Tuesday. The home was a known address for Shahzad.

On Saturday evening, a 1993 Nissan Pathfinder sport utility vehicle was found in New York City's Times Square. Investigators found three propane tanks, a pair of full 19-litre gasoline containers, and two clocks with batteries, electrical wire and other components in the SUV. The clocks were said to have been connected to a can filled with fireworks, which were apparently meant to ignite the gasoline, and ultimately the propane.

A metal rifle cabinet in the SUV was filled with fertilizer, but the New York Police Department has said it was not volatile enough to explode.

Authorities traced the SUV back to a previous owner, and nowallege Shahzad bought it about three weeks ago for cash.

On Tuesday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg saidNew York Citywon't be intimidated by the attempted bombing.

"This was an act that was designed to kill innocent civilians and strike fear into the hearts of Americans, and I am happy to say that it failed on both counts," he said at a ceremony to acknowledge the role of firefighters in Saturday's event.

At the same time, Bloomberg also said the city "will not tolerate any bias or backlash" against Pakistanis or Muslim New Yorkers.