Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.justice.gov/ag/speeches/2010/ag-speech-100504.html
Good afternoon.
As many of you know, Faisal Shahzad was arrested late last night in connection with his alleged role in the attempted car bombing in Times Square last Saturday.
Shahzad, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Pakistan, is in federal custody today. He has been and continues to be questioned by federal agents. As a result of those communications, Shahzad has provided useful information to authorities.
We anticipate charging him 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, and explosives charges.
I want to emphasize that this investigation is ongoing, and we continue to pursue a number of leads as we gather useful intelligence relating to this terrorist attack.
Based on what we know so far, it is clear that this was a terrorist plot aimed at murdering Americans in one of the busiest places in this country. We believe this suspected terrorist fashioned a bomb from rudimentary ingredients, placed it in a rusty SUV and drove it into Times Square with the intent to kill as many innocent tourists and theater-goers as possible.
Make no mistake – although this car bomb failed to properly detonate – this plot was a serious attempt. If successful, it could have resulted in a lethal terrorist attack causing death and destruction in the heart of New York City.
It is a stark reminder of the reality we face today in this country. The reality that there is a constant threat from those who wish to do us harm simply because of our way of life.
There are organized terrorist networks that are targeting us. There are lone terrorists here at home and abroad who are targeting us. As months, even years go by without a successful terrorist attack, the most dangerous lesson we can draw is a false impression that this threat no longer exists.
It does, and the Department of Justice and our partners in the national security community have no higher priority than disrupting those attempts, and bringing those who plot them to justice. In this case, that is exactly what the dedicated agents and prosecutors from the Department and various law enforcement agencies have achieved through exemplary investigative efforts.
Over the last two days, men and women from the FBI, the Department’s National Security Division, and U.S. Attorneys Offices worked with NYPD, DHS, and state and local partners to doggedly track the evidence in this case. The quick action from FBI agents was crucial to alerting Customs and Border Patrol agents, who ultimately arrested him late last night at JFK airport as he was attempting to flee the country.
FBI agents have been able to glean additional evidence from searching Shahzad’s car and home, and they continue to work with their state and local counterparts in New York, Connecticut and other jurisdictions to gather evidence and intelligence related to this case. We are also coordinating with other members of the President’s national security team to ensure we use every resource available to bring everyone responsible to justice.
These agents and prosecutors are the backbone of our national security efforts – many of them doing their jobs outside the spotlight of the media. I want to commend them for their results in this case, and their unwavering commitment to their jobs. We owe them our gratitude and our respect.
Finally, I want to take this opportunity to remind all Americans how important it is to remain vigilant. The SUV in Times Square was first noticed by an alert bystander who reported it to authorities. By being aware of his surroundings and thinking quickly, he helped save lives and thwarted a potentially devastating attack. As always, anyone who notices suspicious activity should report it to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.
Now I’d like to turn it over to Secretary Napolitano.
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/speeches/pistole050410.htm
Deputy Director
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Press Conference Regarding Times Square Investigation
Washington, D.C.
May 4, 2010
* Remarks as prepared for delivery.
Good afternoon. I want to commend the men and women who have worked around the clock since Saturday to find those responsible for what could have been a deadly attack—a host of agencies, departments, and individuals working together toward a single goal. Our collective success unraveling this plot comes down to traditional investigative skills and intelligence collection.
We used traditional law enforcement techniques, such as federal court authorized search warrants, along with intelligence-based authorities, to maximize our evidence and intelligence gathering. Using these techniques, we were able to identify Faisal Shahzad as the person who purchased the 1993 Pathfinder. Customs and Border Protection identified Shahzad’s extensive travel to Pakistan, which led to expanded investigative steps enabling us to fully identify, locate, and eventually arrest Shahzad. A key step in this process occurred around noon yesterday, when we placed Shahzad on the no-fly list. Customs and Border Protection then did an outstanding job identifying Shahzad as the person on the JFK flight last night.
JTTF agents and officers interviewed Mr. Shahzad last night/early this morning under the public safety exception to the Miranda rule. He was cooperative and provided valuable intelligence and evidence. He was eventually transported to another location, Mirandized, and continued talking.
We in the FBI, with our law enforcement and intelligence partners here at home and around the world, continue to investigate this matter. We are conducting a forensic examination of all evidence collected by the NYPD at the scene. Much of this evidence has been transferred to the FBI Laboratory so that we can test the individual chemical composition of the materiel in the explosive device. We also want to test the potential impact of the device to ascertain what would have happened had it worked as intended.
We are working with our law enforcement and intelligence partners to uncover all possible ties this particular individual has or may have had to radical extremism or terrorist organizations, both at home and overseas, and we are pursuing every lead in that regard. And, as always, we are seeking out all those who would orchestrate these kinds of attacks.
Prevention will continue to be our end-game. And we offer thanks to vigilant citizens, like the vendors in Times Square who first noticed this suspicious vehicle. This investigation, like others we have handled in the past year, once again reminds us that our work is not finished. And we will continue to work side-by-side with our partners—and with citizens across the country—to find and stop those who would do us harm.