NY bomb plotter Faisal Shahzad pleads guilty
New York: The Pakistani-American terror suspect Faisal Shahzad on Monday pleaded guilty to all the ten charges in the failed Times Square car bomb attack on May 1.
The 30 year-old was indicted last week on ten terror charges including conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, attempting an act of terrorism and transportation of an explosive. Shahzad pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction when asked by Judge Miriam Goldman Cederbaum, and then said "yes" when asked if he pleaded guilty to all the charges.
He was due to appear in court on Monday at noon but the hearing was then delayed till 4 pm.
The indictment also said that Shahzad was trained in Pakistan by affiliates of Tehrik-e-Taliban, which is connected to Pakistani Taliban and prosecutors claim that he got money for the terror attack by Pakistani militants.
US authorities had suspected the hand of Pakistani- Taliban in the attack since the beginning of the investigation.
"The facts alleged in this indictment show that the Pakistani Taliban facilitated Faisal Shahzad's attempted attack on American soil," Attorney General Eric H Holder Jr said in a statement.
"This office will continue to work in lock-step with our partners at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the New York Police Department (NYPD) to protect New York City from the threat posed by terrorists and those who would support them," US Attorney Preet Bharara was quoted as saying by Fox News.
Shahzad, son of a retired Pakistani Air Force Vice-Marshal, potentially faces a life sentence.
The Pakistan-born US citizen was apprehended at John F Kennedy airport on May 3 while trying to escape to Dubai and has been cooperating with federal authorities by providing them with information.
According to prosecutors, Shahzad allegedly received money from a man in Pakistan who is believed to have been working for Tehrik-e-Taliban.
The suspect then used this money to buy the Nissan Pathfinder and the material to make a car bomb. A 9-millimetre Kel-Tec rifle was also purchased, which was found inside his car at the airport on the day of his arrest.
The indictment states that on February 25, Shahzad allegedly received USD 5,000 in cash in Massachusetts from a "co-conspirator," who is identified only as "CC-1."
The first round of money was followed by another USD 7,000 that was picked up in Long Island, also allegedly from "CC-1."
The father of two worked as a financial analyst in Connecticut where he lived with his wife.
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