Pakistani-American Faisal Shahzad, arrested for the failed Times Square bomb plot, has admitted to attending a terrorist training camp in restive Waziristan and would be charged with an act of terrorism, even as seven people were detained in Pakistan for alleged links to him.
A day after arresting him from the New York's John F Kennedy Airport when he was trying to flee the country, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said 30-year-old Shahzad confessed he had attempted to detonate a bomb at Times Square.
Shahzad, a naturalised US citizen, also told the FBI that he received bomb-making training at a terror camp in Waziristan, a lawless tribal region where the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups operate with near impunity.
The training raised the possibility of a coordinated international plot for an attack.
In a 10-page complaint filed yesterday before the Court of Judge Nathaniel Fox, Southern District of New York, the FBI alleged Shahzad travelled from Connecticut to New York on a sports-utility vehicle (SUV) that was laden with a bomb.
US Attorney General Eric Holder said Shahzad would be charged with an act of terrorism and that he is cooperating with investigators and providing useful details.
He would be charged with an act of terrorism transcending national borders, attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, use of a destructive device during the commission of another crime, as well as assorted explosives charges, he said.
"After the arrest Shahzad admitted that he had attempted to detonate a bomb in Times Square. He also admitted that hehad recently received bomb-making training in Waziristan, Pakistan," the FBI said.
Meanwhile, authorities in Pakistan detained seven men from different parts of the country for their alleged links with Shahzad.
A top police official in Punjab province told PTI that at least seven suspects had been taken into custody in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Karachi and shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation.
He did not confirm whether the detained suspects had links to the Taliban or al-Qaeda.
"I can only confirm the detentions at the moment. The intelligence agencies are in contact with US authorities about this matter," the officer said.
Shahzad, a resident of Connecticut man and a naturalised US citizen, is the son of a retired Air Vice Marshal of the Pakistan Air Force.
His parents live in Peshawar while his ancestral home is in the Pubbi area of Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa province.
According to other sources, a person identified as Tauseef Ahmed was one of the detainees in Karachi. Ahmed had made several contacts with Faisal in the last few weeks and had even gone to the US sometime back on his invitation, they said.
The other person picked up was related to Faisal who originally belonged to the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), they said.
A television news channel reported that Tauseef's wife had claimed that her husband was innocent and being made a scapegoat.
The US federal complaint said Shahzad, who gained US citizenship in April last year, returned from Pakistan on February 3. He had arrived on a one-way ticket.
During an immigration inspection, Shahzad told officials that he had been in Pakistan for at least five months to visit his parents.
He indicated that he intended to stay in a motel in Connecticut while he looked for a place to live and a job.
Shahzad further advised his wife to remain behind in Pakistan, the FBI told the court.
In addition, Shahzad admitted that he had brought the Pathfinder to Times Square and attempted to detonate it.
Shahzad also noted that he had driven a particular car to the airport on May 3, 2010 and stated that the car contained a gun, the FBI said, adding the gun was recovered from his car.
"Shahzad, after receiving bomb-making training in Waziristan, Pakistan travelled to the US, transported a sports utility vehicle to the vicinity of 45th Street and Seventh Avenue in Manhattan, New York, and attempted to detonate explosive and incendiary devices located inside the sports utility vehicle," the complaint stated.
Following his arrest, the FBI said Shahzad used a pre-paid cellular telephone, which has not been used since April 28, both to call a fireworks store and to receive a series of calls from Pakistan following his purchase of Nissan Pathfinder.
A media report said Shahzad has told investigators that he acted alone in planting the explosive device in the crowded tourist spot.
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