Times Square probe: three arrested in raids

FBI investigators enter a home in Watertown, Massachusetts, Thursday, May 13, 2010.

Federal investigators conducted raids on Thursday in 3 north-eastern states in connection with the probe into the botched car bombing of Times Square in New York.

Federal prosecutors and the Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed that search warrants were exercised in New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts in hunt of leads in the case arising from the attempt to explode a vehicle earlier this month in New York City’s landmark shopping and entertainment centre.

“We can confirm that search warrants have been executed in several locations in the north—east in connection with the investigation into the attempted Times Square bombing,” authorities said in a joint statement.

3 people found during the raids were arrested on suspicion of immigration status violations, the FBI said.

The raids were conducted based on evidence arising from the Times Square probe but “do not relate to any known immediate threat to the public or active plot against the United States,” the statement said.

Searches took place in the Boston area and in Watertown and Brookline, Massachusetts, and on New York’s Long Island, as well as in New Jersey.

A car crammed with fuel, fireworks and other flammable substances was left on May 1 in Times Square but did not detonate. It was discovered by police after witnesses noticed smoke emitting from the sport—utility vehicle.

A naturalized US citizen from Pakistan, Faisal Shahzad, was arrested 2 days later awaiting takeoff on an airliner leaving the country. He has been charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction in the Times Square incident, and has reportedly been cooperating with law enforcement.

Shahzad has apparently admitted his role in planting the would-be car bomb in Times Square and described having received bomb—making training from militants in Pakistan, where he had recently visited before the attempted attack.

In Washington, Attorney General Eric Holder mentioned the investigation in testimony to a congressional committee.

“When questioned by federal agents, (Shahzad) provided useful information. We now believe that the Pakistan Taliban was responsible for the attempted attack,” Holder said Thursday.

“We are currently working with the authorities in Pakistan on this investigation, and we will use every resource available to make sure that anyone found responsible, whether they be in the United States or overseas, is held accountable. This attempted attack is a sober reminder that we face aggressive and determined enemies.”