Times Square bombing suspect charged

New York, May 5 (ANI): The Pakistani-American man arrested in the failed Times Square car bombing has been charged after he admitted to his role in the attempted attack and said he received explosives training in Pakistan, the authorities said Tuesday.

Faisal Shahzad, 30, was arrested as he tried to flee the country in a Dubai-bound jet late Monday.

Hours later, there were reports that seven or eight people had been arrested in Pakistan, as officials in both countries sought to determine the origins and scope of the plot.

According to the New York Times, Shahzad was charged on Tuesday with several terrorism-related crimes.

American intelligence officials said that while any ties Shahzad had to international terrorist groups remained murky, investigators were strongly looking at possible links to the Pakistani Taliban in the attempted attack on Saturday.

If the role is confirmed, it would be the group's first effort to attack the United States and the first sign of the group's ability to strike targets beyond Pakistan or Afghanistan.

Shahzad is a naturalized United States citizen from Pakistan who lived in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

He was charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and other federal charges, several related to explosives. He was interrogated without initially being read his Miranda rights under a public safety exception, and he provided what the Federal Bureau of Investigation called "valuable intelligence and evidence."

He continued talking after being read his rights, the F.B.I. said.

The authorities charged him as a civilian, but he did not appear in court and no hearing has been scheduled. (ANI)