:Faisal Shahzad

{{short description|American convicted terrorist incarcerated in a US federal prison}}

{{Infobox criminal

| name = Faisal Shahzad

| image = Amd mug faisal-shahzad.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Mugshot of Faisal Shahzad in 2010

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1979|6|30|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Karachi, Pakistan

| citizenship = American, formerly Pakistani

| alma_mater = University of Bridgeport

| occupation = Former financial analyst

| organization =

| known_for = Arrested as the prime suspect in 2010 Times Square car bomb attempt

| height = {{convert|5|ft|11|in}}{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/05/04/2010-05-04_times_square_family_photo_shows_accused_bomber_faisal_shahzad_posing_near_scene_.html |title=Times Square family photo shows accused bomber Faisal Shahzad posing near scene of terrorattempt |newspaper=New York Daily News |last=Gendar |first=Alison |author2=James Gordon Meek |author3=Rocco Parascandola |author4=Larry McShane |date=May 5, 2010 |access-date=May 6, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100508205212/http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/05/04/2010-05-04_times_square_family_photo_shows_accused_bomber_faisal_shahzad_posing_near_scene_.html |archive-date=May 8, 2010}}

| criminal_penalty = Life imprisonment without parole

| criminal_status = Incarcerated

| spouse = Huma Asif Mian{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/faisal-shahzad-charged-with-five-counts-admits-training-in-pakistan/|title=Faisal Shahzad Charged with Five Counts, Admits Training in Pakistan|date=May 4, 2010|author=Clifden Kennedy|publisher=CBSNews.com|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119031128/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-20004128-10391695.html|archive-date=January 19, 2013|url-status=live}}

| children = 2

| parents = Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Baharul Haq (father){{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/04/AR2010050400930.html|title=Times Square bombing suspect's life had unraveled|last=Christofferson|first=John|agency=Associated Press|date=May 4, 2010|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=May 5, 2010}}{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

| conviction = Attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction (18 U.S.C. § 2332a)
Conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction (18 U.S.C. § 2332a)
Use of a firearm during a crime of violence (18 U.S.C. § 924)
Attempted act of terrorism transcending national boundaries (18 U.S.C. § 2332b)
Conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries (18 U.S.C. § 2332b)
Attempted use of a destructive device during a crime of violence (18 U.S.C. § 924)
Transportation of an explosive (18 U.S.C. § 844)
Conspiracy to transport an explosive (18 U.S.C. § 844)
Attempted destruction of property by fire and explosives (18 U.S.C. § 844)
Conspiracy to destroy property by fire and explosives (18 U.S.C. § 844)

| imprisoned = ADX Florence

| alt = Headshot of Shahzad on a gray background

}}

Faisal Shahzad ({{langx|ur|{{nq|فیصل شہزاد}}}}; born {{Nowrap|June 30}}, 1979) is a Pakistani-American citizen who was arrested for the attempted May 1, 2010, Times Square car bombing. On {{Nowrap|June 21}}, 2010, in Federal District Court in Manhattan, he confessed to 10 counts arising from the bombing attempt. Throughout his court appearance, Shahzad was unrepentant. The United States Attorney indicated there was no plea deal, so Shahzad faced the maximum sentence, a mandatory life term.[https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/22/nyregion/22terror.html Weiser, B. Guilty Plea in Times Square Bomb Plot] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017160315/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/22/nyregion/22terror.html?hp |date=October 17, 2017 }} The New York Times. {{Nowrap|June 21}}, 2010

Shahzad was arrested approximately 53 hours after the attempt, at {{Nowrap|11:45 p.m.}} EDT on {{Nowrap|May 3}}, 2010, by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers. He was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport, after boarding Emirates Flight 202 to Dubai. His final destination had been Islamabad, Pakistan.

A federal complaint was filed on {{Nowrap|May 4}}, alleging that Shahzad committed five terrorism-related crimes, including the attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction.{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/shahzad.pdf?tag=contentMain;contentBody|title=United States of America v. Faisal Shahzad|work=CBS News|access-date=May 6, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026071538/http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/shahzad.pdf?tag=contentMain;contentBody|archive-date=October 26, 2012|url-status=live}} Shahzad waived his constitutional right to a speedy hearing.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/nyregion/06bomb.html|title=Times Square Bomb Suspect Waives Rapid Court Hearing|last=Mazzetti|first=Mark|author2=Sabrina Tavernise|author3=William K. Rashbaum|date=May 5, 2010|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=May 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100505213056/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/nyregion/06bomb.html?hp|archive-date=May 5, 2010|url-status=live}}

Shahzad has reportedly implicated himself in the crimes, and has given information to authorities since his arrest.{{cite news|title=Faisal Shahzad Was Read Miranda Rights After Initial Questioning|last=Condon|first=Stephanie|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/faisal-shahzad-was-read-miranda-rights-after-initial-questioning/|date=May 4, 2010|work=CBS News|access-date=May 5, 2010|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119014552/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20004108-503544.html|archive-date=January 19, 2013|url-status=live}} Shahzad admitted to receiving training in bomb-making at a camp run by the Taliban in the Waziristan region in Pakistan along the Afghan border. As of {{Nowrap|May 7}}, {{when|date=May 2024}} Shahzad was continuing to answer questions and provide intelligence to investigators. Pakistani officials have arrested more than a dozen people in connection with the plot.{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}}

After pleading guilty to a 10-count indictment in June, on October 5, 2010, Shahzad was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole; the charges had included attempted conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting an act of a terrorist attack.{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704469004575533902050370826?mod=djemalertNYnews|title=Times Square Bomber Gets Life Sentence|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|first=Chad|last=Bray|access-date=October 5, 2010|date=October 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201044133/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704469004575533902050370826?mod=djemalertNYnews|archive-date=December 1, 2017|url-status=live}}

Shahzad is married and the father of two young children, both born in the United States. Since 1997, he had lived mostly in the United States, attending college on extended visas, and earning an undergraduate degree and an MBA at the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He worked for two major companies, Arden and Affinion Group (2006-2009), as a financial analyst before quitting his jobs. He separated from his wife, Huma Mian, in 2009 and she returned with their children to her parents in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

Biography

=Early life and education=

Shahzad is a naturalized U.S. citizen. He was born in Pakistan in either Karachi or Pabbi (a village in Nowshera District east of Peshawar in northwest Pakistan), the youngest of four children.{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/dispatch/2010/05/04/dispatch-from-pakistan-shahzad-visited-peshawar-in-2009/|title=Dispatch From Pakistan: Shahzad Visited Peshawar in 2009|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=May 4, 2010|location=Islamabad, Pakistan|last=Hussain|first=Zahid|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-date=May 7, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507111518/http://blogs.wsj.com/dispatch/2010/05/04/dispatch-from-pakistan-shahzad-visited-peshawar-in-2009/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/nyregion/05plane.html|title=Lapses Allowed Suspect to Board Plane|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 5, 2010|last=Hussain|first=Zahid|access-date=May 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100505211217/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/nyregion/05plane.html|archive-date=May 5, 2010|url-status=live}} His father was born in the village of Mohib Banda (near Peshawar).Julie McCarthy, [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126536422 In Pakistan, Shahzad's Family, Friends Express Dismay] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201082120/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126536422 |date=December 1, 2017 }}, National Public Radio Shahzad comes from a wealthy, well-educated family in northwest Pakistan.

Shahzad's father, Baharul Haq, lives in the Peshawar suburb of Hayatabad.{{cite web|author=Adnan R. Khan|url=http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/failure-banality-shadowed-shahzads-pakistan-past/19466041|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827075230/http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/failure-banality-shadowed-shahzads-pakistan-past/19466041|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 27, 2018|title=Shahzad's Pakistan Past Shadowed by 'Sad Story'|publisher=AOL News|access-date=October 17, 2010}} His father was a senior official in the Pakistan Air Force, holding the rank of air vice-marshal (the equivalent of a two-star general) before leaving the air force in 1992. His children grew up in privilege.{{cite news|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=237595 |title=Faisal Shahzad's father vacates Peshawar house |newspaper=The News International |location=Pakistan |author1=Javed Aziz Khan |author2=Mushtaq Paracha |date=May 5, 2010 |access-date=May 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100509163857/http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=237595 |archive-date=May 9, 2010 }} He is a deputy director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan.{{cite news|url=http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2010/05/04/13819271-ap.html|title=Several arrested in Pakistan|publisher=CNews|author1=Ashraf Khan|author2=Riaz Khan|agency=Associated Press|date=May 4, 2010|access-date=May 5, 2010|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130115184607/http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2010/05/04/13819271-ap.html|archive-date=January 15, 2013}}Julie McCarthy, [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126536422&ft=1&f=1004 "In Pakistan, Shahzad's Family, Friends Express Dismay"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201131555/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126536422&ft=1&f=1004 |date=December 1, 2017 }}, National Public Radio, {{Nowrap|May 5}}, 2010: The village of Mohib Banda, in Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province, is the ancestral family home of Faisal Shahzad, the alleged Times Square bomber. ... Ahmed is the former mayor in Mohib Banda and a close friend of Shahzad's father, retired Vice Air Marshal Baharul Haq. Ahmed says the case of Faisal Shahzad is a shame on the village, and tragic for the family. "This is a tragedy for me and every Pakistani, every Pashtun", he says. He had begun as a common airman, but became a fighter pilot excelling in aerobatics, and was posted in England and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Shahzad is probably of mixed ethnic background because the Government of Pakistan stated that he is of Kashmiri descent[http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1987126,00.html?xid=rss-topstories#ixzz0nTzBHkqQ Times Square Bomb Arrest Raises U.S. Security Questions] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100506031821/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1987126,00.html?xid=rss-topstories#ixzz0nTzBHkqQ |date=May 6, 2010 }}, Time, by Tony Karon with Massimo Calabresi and Mark Thompson. {{Nowrap|May 5}}, 2010.{{cite news|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/family-friend-of-shahzad-held-in-pak/615192|title=Family, friend of Shahzad held in Pakistan|newspaper=Indian Express|date=May 5, 2010|access-date=October 17, 2010|archive-date=March 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320204012/https://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/web/family-friend-of-shahzad-held-in-pak/|url-status=live}} but Shahzad identified himself as Pashtun.{{cite news|last=Elliott|first=Andrea|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/nyregion/16suspect.html?pagewanted=all|title=For Times Sq. Suspect, Long Roots of Discontent|newspaper=NYTimes.com|date=May 15, 2010|access-date=May 16, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100521053513/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/nyregion/16suspect.html?pagewanted=all|archive-date=May 21, 2010|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.forbes.com/2010/05/06/times-square-bomber-immigration-opinions-columnists-melik-kaylan-assimilation.html|title=Immigration, Terror And Assimilation|magazine=Forbes.com|date=May 6, 2010|access-date=May 10, 2010|first=Melik|last=Kaylan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100508205417/http://www.forbes.com/2010/05/06/times-square-bomber-immigration-opinions-columnists-melik-kaylan-assimilation.html?boxes=Homepagechannels|archive-date=May 8, 2010|url-status=live}}

The New York Times reported that Shahzad's life seems to have followed a

"familiar narrative about radicalization in the West: his anger toward his adopted country seemed to have grown in lockstep with his personal struggles. He had lost his home to foreclosure last year. At the same time he was showing signs of a profound, religiously infused alienation."

Shahzad's family moved with his father's military postings, and the boy attended primary school in Saudi Arabia, according to documents found outside his Shelton home. He later attended several schools in Pakistan.{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/05/04/2010-05-04_who_is_faisal_shahzad_alleged_times_square_car_bomber.html|title=Times Square bomb suspect Faisal Shahzad 'was just a normal dude' before making neighbors suspicious|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 28, 2010|access-date=May 6, 2010|location=New York|first1=Kevin|last1=Deutsch|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507080026/http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/05/04/2010-05-04_who_is_faisal_shahzad_alleged_times_square_car_bomber.html|archive-date=May 7, 2010|url-status=live}} In high school, he received Ds in English composition and microeconomics. While he was growing up, the family had servants, chauffeurs, and armed guards in keeping with his father's military rank.

Kifayat Ali, a man who said he is a cousin of Shahzad's father, insisted that Shahzad's family had no political affiliations. He said the arrest of Shahzad appeared to be a "conspiracy so that the [Americans] can bomb more Pashtuns", and that Shahzad "was never linked to any political or religious party [in Pakistan]".{{cite web|url=http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2010/05/04/13819271-ap.html|title=CNews Several Arrested in Pakistan|publisher=Cnews.canoe.ca|date=May 2010|access-date=May 7, 2010|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130115184607/http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2010/05/04/13819271-ap.html|archive-date=January 15, 2013}}

Shahzad studied for five semesters in 1997 and 1998 at the now-defunct Southeastern University in Washington D.C., where he took mostly business classes. He received several Cs and Ds, an F in basic statistics, and a grade point average of 2.78.Ramunni, Kate [http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Exclusive-Documents-found-near-bomb-suspect-s-473608.php "Exclusive: Documents found near bomb suspect's former Shelton home"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507015351/http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Exclusive-Documents-found-near-bomb-suspect-s-473608.php |date=May 7, 2010 }}, Connecticut Post {{Nowrap|May 4}}, 2010, retrieved same day In December 1998, he was granted an F-1 student visa.{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/dispatch/2010/05/04/faisal-shahzads-life-in-america-and-path-to-citizenship|title=Faisal Shahzad's Life in America and Path to Citizenship|author=WSJ Staff|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=May 4, 2010|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507111528/http://blogs.wsj.com/dispatch/2010/05/04/faisal-shahzads-life-in-america-and-path-to-citizenship/|archive-date=May 7, 2010|url-status=live}} In 1999 he was placed on a US Customs (later merged into DHS) travel lookout list called the "Traveler Enforcement Compliance System".[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/shahzad-on-us-travel-security-list-since-1999/ "Shahzad on U.S. Travel Security List since 1999"], CBS News, {{Nowrap|May 5}}, 2010

In 2000, Shahzad transferred to the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, Connecticut. On weekends, he would go to Bengali-themed nightclubs in New York City. A classmate remembered Shahzad watching news footage of the September 11 attacks in New York, and saying, "They had it coming." He participated in a wider world than some Pakistanis, and was said to love women and to drink socially. Shahzad earned a B.A. in computer applications and information systems from the University of Bridgeport, and his parents attended his graduation on {{Nowrap|May 13}}, 2002.Mayko, Michael, [http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Who-is-Faisal-Shahzad-474436.php "Who is Faisal Shahzad? 'Unremarkable': American dream faded quickly for accused terrorist"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507172105/http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Who-is-Faisal-Shahzad-474436.php |date=May 7, 2010 }}, Connecticut Post {{Nowrap|May 4}}, 2010, retrieved same day Just before graduation, in April 2002, he was granted an H1-B visa for skilled workers. Shahzad remained in the U.S. for three years on that visa, earning a Master of Business Administration degree at the University of Bridgeport in 2005.

=Career=

Shahzad worked as a junior financial analyst in the accounting department at the Elizabeth Arden cosmetics company in Stamford, Connecticut, while he was still working on his master's degree. After working with them from January 2002 and until {{Nowrap|June 15}}, 2006, he resigned to go elsewhere. He complained to friends that the company never raised his salary above $50,000.

=Personal life=

On December 24, 2004, in an arranged marriage in Peshawar, Pakistan, Shahzad married Huma Asif Mian.{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dc/2010/05/times-sq-plotter-a-lone-wolf--.html |title=Times Sq. Plotter A 'Lone Wolf' – Or Not? |publisher=Nydailynews.com |date=May 7, 2010 |access-date=May 12, 2010 |location=New York |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619031833/http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dc/2010/05/times-sq-plotter-a-lone-wolf--.html |archive-date=June 19, 2012 }}{{cite magazine|url=http://theweek.com/article/index/202747/the-private-life-of-faisal-shahzad|title=The private life of Faisal Shahzad|magazine=The Week|date=May 7, 2010|access-date=May 11, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100510230410/http://theweek.com/article/index/202747/the-private-life-of-faisal-shahzad|archive-date=May 10, 2010|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Barron|first=James|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/nyregion/06profile.html|title=Shahzad's Friends Describe a Growing Seriousness|newspaper=NYTimes.com|date=May 5, 2010|access-date=May 6, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100509163600/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/nyregion/06profile.html|archive-date=May 9, 2010|url-status=live}} They have two children.{{Cite web |url=http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_15015539?source=rss |title=Huma Mian, wife of terror suspect, attended CU - Boulder Daily Camera |access-date=December 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224112032/http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_15015539?source=rss |archive-date=December 24, 2013 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.courant.com/2010/05/05/faisal-shahzad-blended-in-until-he-quit-job-returned-to-pakistan/ |title=Faisal Shahzad 'Blended In' Until He Quit Job, Returned To Pakistan - Hartford Courant |date=May 5, 2010 |access-date=December 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224110605/http://articles.courant.com/2010-05-05/news/hc-times-square-bomb-faisal-shahzad-conn-0505_1_times-square-law-enforcement-pakistan |archive-date=December 24, 2013 |url-status=live }}

Huma Asif Mian, a 2004 graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder, majored in accounting.{{cite news | url=http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_15018342 | work=Denver Post | first=Carlos | last=Illescas | title=Terror suspect's wife Huma Mian attended University of Colorado | date=May 5, 2010 | access-date=December 21, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224102714/http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_15018342 | archive-date=December 24, 2013 | url-status=live }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.timescall.com/ci_15015310 |title=Wife of Times Square terror suspect Faisal Shahzad a CU-Boulder grad - Longmont Times-Call |access-date=December 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224094813/http://www.timescall.com/ci_15015310 |archive-date=December 24, 2013 |url-status=dead }} Mian was born in the United States to Pakistani-born parents. Mian and her parents and siblings had lived in Qatar and Colorado. At the time of Shahzad's arrest, Mian lived with her parents and her two children fathered by Shahzad in Saudi Arabia.{{Cite news |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/05/06/the-would-be-bombers-wife.html |title=The Would-Be Bomber's Wife |newspaper=The Daily Beast |date=May 6, 2010 |access-date=December 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224114747/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/05/06/the-would-be-bombers-wife.html |archive-date=December 24, 2013 |url-status=live |last1=Nomani |first1=Asra Q. }} Mian's father is Mohammad Asif Mian, a petroleum engineering expert. He has written a number of books and technical manuals, including a best-selling book on project economics and decision analysis; worked for companies such as Saudi Aramco and Qatar General Petroleum; and has two master's degrees from the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado.{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/05/08/terror-budget-times-square-car-bomb-plot-cost-little|title=Terror on a budget: Times Square car bomb plot could have cost as little as $7,000|publisher=FOXNews.com|date=May 8, 2010|access-date=May 10, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805003047/http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/05/08/terror-budget-times-square-car-bomb-plot-cost-little/|archive-date=August 5, 2011|url-status=live}} After Shahzad was arrested, his father-in-law Mohammad Asif Mian said: "to go to this extreme, this is unbelievable. He has lovely children. Two really lovely children. As a father I would not be able to afford to lose my children."

In 2002, Shahzad bought a Mercedes automobile and a $205,000 condominium in Norwalk, Connecticut. He sold the condo in May 2004 to George LaMonica for a $56,000 profit. LaMonica was interviewed afterward by Joint Terrorism Task Force investigators regarding details of the transactions and information about Shahzad.{{cite news|author1=James Barron|author2=Michael S. Schmidt|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/nyregion/05profile.html|title=From Suburban Father to a Terrorism Suspect|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 5, 2010|access-date=February 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507025709/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/nyregion/05profile.html|archive-date=May 7, 2010|url-status=live}}

In January 2006, Shahzad was granted permanent residence status (a "green card"). He bought a new single-family three-bedroom home in Shelton, Connecticut, just outside Bridgeport in 2006, at which he and his family lived. From mid-June 2006 to June 2009, Shahzad worked as a junior financial analyst, a position he told a friend paid $70,000, for Affinion Group, an affinity marketing and consulting business{{cite news|author1=Daniel Trotta|author2=Zeeshan Haider|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE6410CK20100504|title=NY bomb suspect said to admit plot, Pakistan training|work=Reuters|date=May 4, 2010|access-date=May 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507020245/http://www.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE6410CK20100504|archive-date=May 7, 2010|url-status=live}} then located at 100 Connecticut Avenue, Norwalk.

He was naturalized as a U.S. citizen on {{Nowrap|April 17}}, 2009.{{cite news|last=Barron|first=James|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/nyregion/05profile.html|title=Suspect in Times Square Bomb Case Became Citizen After 10 Years in U.S.|newspaper=NYTimes.com|date=May 4, 2010|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507025709/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/nyregion/05profile.html|archive-date=May 7, 2010|url-status=live}} A few weeks later, he abruptly quit his job and stopped making payments on his house, defaulting on the $218,400 mortgage.

His marriage became strained in 2009 as he pressured his wife Huma to wear a hijab and insisted that the family return to live in Pakistan while he searched for a job in the Middle East. On {{Nowrap|June 2}}, he telephoned his wife from John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, saying he was leaving for Pakistan, and it was her choice whether or not to follow him. She refused, and actually left the United States herself, taking their children with her to live with her parents in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

Shahzad defaulted on the mortgage of his house, and was sued by the bank in September 2009 as it foreclosed on his home.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/nyregion/05profile.html|title=From Suburban Father to a Terrorism Suspect|date=May 4, 2010|access-date=May 4, 2010|newspaper=The New York Times|last=Barron|first=James|author2=Michael S. Schmidt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507025709/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/nyregion/05profile.html|archive-date=May 7, 2010|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Lane|first=Charles|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2010/05/faisal_shahzad_violent_fanatic.html|title=PostPartisan – Faisal Shahzad: violent fanatic, or unhappy homeowner?|publisher=Voices.washingtonpost.com|access-date=May 9, 2010|archive-date=October 24, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111024235144/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2010/05/faisal_shahzad_violent_fanatic.html|url-status=dead}}

The New York Times reported that since 2006, he had become more religiously devout and struggled with questions about Muslims in the world. He began to pray five times a day, at mosques in Stamford, Norwalk, and Bridgeport. On {{Nowrap|February 25}}, 2006, Shahzad had sent a long e-mail message to a number of friends. Writing that he understood that Islam forbids killing innocents, he asked those who insisted on peaceful protest, "Can you tell me a way to save the oppressed? And a way to fight back when rockets are fired at us and Muslim blood flows? Everyone knows how the Muslim country bows down to pressure from west. Everyone knows the kind of humiliation we are faced with around the globe."

Attempted bombing of Times Square

=Reported preparations=

On July 3, 2009, Shahzad reportedly traveled to Pakistan and is believed to have visited Peshawar, a gateway to the militant-occupied tribal regions of Pakistan and stayed there from {{Nowrap|July 7}} to {{Nowrap|July 22}}.{{cite news|author=CBS/AP|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/faisal-shahzad-kept-low-profile-in-us/|title=Faisal Shahzad Kept Low Profile in U.S.|work=Terrorism in the US|publisher=CBS News|date=May 4, 2010|access-date=May 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100506032557/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/04/national/main6459360.shtml|archive-date=May 6, 2010|url-status=live}} While in Pakistan, he said he trained at a terrorist training camp in what was believed to be Waziristan, according to law enforcement officials.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/04/AR2010050403556.html|title=AP sources: Bomber trained at Pakistan terror camp|last=Sullivan|first=Eileen|author2=Kimberly Dozier|agency=Associated Press|work=Washingtonpost.com|date=May 4, 2010|access-date=May 5, 2010}}{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Time suggested that his family's background in northwestern Pakistan meant that Shahzad likely spoke Pashto, a rare asset for a Western volunteer in the training camps.{{cite magazine|last=Waraich|first=Omar|url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1987455,00.html?xid=rss-topstories|title=Faisal Shahzad Bomb Inquiry Looks at Pakistan Training|magazine=Time|date=May 6, 2010|access-date=May 11, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100511193341/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1987455,00.html?xid=rss-topstories|archive-date=May 11, 2010|url-status=dead}}

Shahzad's most recent stay in Pakistan lasted for five months; he returned to the U.S. on {{Nowrap|February 3}}, 2010, on an Emirates flight from Dubai.{{cite news|title=American Who Recently Visited Pakistan Eyed in Times Square Bomb Plot|publisher=Fox News|date=May 3, 2010|url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/03/officials-reportedly-foreign-plot-times-square-car-bomb|access-date=May 5, 2010|last=Garrett|first=Major|author2=Catherine Herridge|author3=Mike Levine|agency=Associated Press|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100505002913/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/03/officials-reportedly-foreign-plot-times-square-car-bomb/|archive-date=May 5, 2010|url-status=dead}}

Shahzad was believed to have bought the 1993 Nissan Pathfinder that was used in the car bomb attempt within three weeks prior to the incident. The vehicle was purchased through an ad on Craigslist, for $1,300. Shahzad reportedly paid a Connecticut woman for it in $100 bills.{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/05/04/2010-05-04_times_square_bomb_plot_suspect_faisal_shahzad_says_he_acted_alone_traced_by_cell.html |title=Faisal Shahzad, Times Sq. bomb suspect, nabbed within 'minutes' of escape; 2 held in Pakistan |last=Gendar |first=Alison |author2=James Gordon Meek |author3=Rocco Parascandola |author4=Corky Siemaszko |author5=Stephanie Gaskell |newspaper=New York Daily News |date=May 4, 2010 |access-date=May 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111030015759/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york |archive-date=October 30, 2011 |url-status=live }} He paid the money and received the car at a Connecticut shopping center, without any formal paperwork being exchanged.{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/05/03/2010-05-03_times_square_car_bomb_square_evidence_points_to_overseas_terrorist_involvement_w.html|title=Pakistani-American Faisal Shahzad, suspect in foiled Times Square bomb plot, arrested at JFK|last=Gendar|first=Alison|author2=James Gordon Meek|author3=Rocco Parascandola|author4=Corky Siemaszko|date=May 3, 2010|newspaper=New York Daily News|access-date=May 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100505214917/http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/05/03/2010-05-03_times_square_car_bomb_square_evidence_points_to_overseas_terrorist_involvement_w.html|archive-date=May 5, 2010|url-status=live}}

=Arrest and charges=

File:MCC New York jeh.JPG, where Shahzad was held shortly after his arrest]]

Shahzad was arrested approximately 53 hours after the incident,{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/nyregion/05tictoc.html|title=Smoking Car to an Arrest in 53 Hours|last1=Rashbaum|first1=William K.|first2=Al|last2=Baker|date=May 4, 2010|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=May 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100505211603/http://www.nytimes.com//2010//05//05//nyregion//05tictoc.html|archive-date=May 5, 2010|url-status=live}} at {{Nowrap|11:45 p.m.}} EDT on {{Nowrap|May 3}}, 2010, by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/nyregion/05bomb.html|title=Terrorism Suspect, Charged, Said to Admit to Role in Plot|author=William K. Rashbaum|author2=Mark Mazzetti|author3=Peter Baker|date=May 4, 2010|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=February 24, 2017|archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/67GYzkIx4?url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/nyregion/05bomb.html?_r=1&hp|archive-date=April 28, 2012|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/04/AR2010050400253.html|title=Holder: Car bomb suspect tried to fly to Dubai|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=May 4, 2010|last=Kesten|first=Lou|agency=Associated Press|access-date=May 5, 2010}}{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/05/05/times.square.investigation/index.html|title='I was expecting you,' bombing suspect tells agents|author=|date=May 5, 2010|newspaper=CNN|access-date=May 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100505172805/http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/05/05/times.square.investigation/index.html|archive-date=May 5, 2010|url-status=live}} He was taken into custody at John F. Kennedy International Airport, as he sat on board Emirates Flight 202 to Dubai. His flight was minutes from takeoff but was recalled to the gate.{{cite news|author=|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/05/04/new.york.car.bomb/index.html?|title=Times Square suspect had explosives training, documents say|publisher=CNN|date=May 4, 2010|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100504102545/http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/05/04/new.york.car.bomb/index.html|archive-date=May 4, 2010|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/04/AR2010050400192.html|title=Probe in failed Times Square attack focusing on Pakistani Taliban|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=May 4, 2010|access-date=May 5, 2010|last=Hsu|first=Spencer S.|author2=Jerry Markon|author3=William Branigin|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101023124624/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/04/AR2010050400192.html|archive-date=October 23, 2010|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/6989257.html |title=Suspect in Times Square plot faces terror charges |newspaper=Houston Chronicle |date=May 4, 2010 |agency=Associated Press |last=Hays |first=Tom |author2=Larry Neumeister |access-date=May 4, 2010 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}{{cite news|title=Arrest Made in Times Square Bomb Case|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/04/nyregion/04bomb.html|last=Rashbaum|first=William K.|author2=Mark Mazzetti|author3=Peter Baker|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 4, 2010|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100505212150/http://www.nytimes.com//2010//05//04//nyregion//04bomb.html|archive-date=May 5, 2010|url-status=live|author2-link=Mark Mazzetti}} His final destination would have been Islamabad, Pakistan.

Lapses in security allowed Shahzad to board the plane. He had been placed on the no-fly list on Monday, {{Nowrap|May 3}} at {{Nowrap|12:30 p.m.}} when investigators became more certain he was a suspect in the bombing attempt two days before. Investigators lost track of Shahzad before he drove to the airport on the evening of {{Nowrap|May 3}}, and did not know he was planning to leave the country. Emirates airline agents did not check the no-fly list for added names at {{Nowrap|6:30 p.m.}} when Shahzad made a reservation, or at {{Nowrap|7:35 p.m.}} when he purchased the ticket at the airport with cash. Shahzad was later allowed to board the plane. A routine post-boarding check at {{Nowrap|11:00 p.m.}} revealed that Shahzad was on the no-fly list. Within minutes, agents recalled the plane to the gate, boarded the plane, and arrested him.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/nyregion/05plane.html|title=Lapses Allowed Suspect to Board Plane|last=Shane|first=Scott|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 4, 2010|access-date=May 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100509010411/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/nyregion/05plane.html?hp|archive-date=May 9, 2010|url-status=live}}

Shortly after the arrest, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said, "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 our country". Holder later said that Shahzad had admitted involvement in the incident, and that he was providing useful information.{{cite news|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2010/0504/Times-Square-bomber-probe-Did-Faisal-Shahzad-act-alone|title=Times Square bomber probe: Did Faisal Shahzad act alone?|newspaper=The Christian Science Monitor|date=May 4, 2010|first=Ron|last=Scherer|location=New York|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507174823/http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2010/0504/Times-Square-bomber-probe-Did-Faisal-Shahzad-act-alone|archive-date=May 7, 2010|url-status=live}}

According to Deputy FBI Director John Pistole, Shahzad was initially interrogated under the public safety exception to the Miranda rule and cooperated with authorities. He was later read his Miranda rights, and continued to cooperate and provide information.{{cite news|title=A Renewed Debate Over Suspect Rights|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/nyregion/05arrest.html|last=Baker|first=Peter|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 4, 2010|access-date=May 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100505212546/http://www.nytimes.com//2010//05//05//nyregion//05arrest.html|archive-date=May 5, 2010|url-status=live}}

The FBI and NYPD searched Shahzad's Bridgeport, Connecticut home on {{Nowrap|May 4}}, at Sheridan Street and Boston Avenue, removing filled plastic bags. Materials related to the bomb were found in his apartment, including boxes that had contained the alarm clocks. His car at the airport held a 9 mm Kel-Tec SUB-2000 carbine with five full magazines of ammunition, according to law enforcement officials.

The complaint filed in federal court on {{Nowrap|May 4}}, 2010,{{cite web|url=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/05/04/ny.pdf|title=Complaint filed in Federal Court|date=May 4, 2010|publisher=CNN|access-date=May 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100601075315/http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/05/04/ny.pdf|archive-date=June 1, 2010|url-status=live}} charged Shahzad with five counts of terrorism-related crimes. He faced up to life in prison.

On May 9, Attorney General Holder announced pending Obama Administration Miranda-warning legislation in the context of the Shahzad case.[https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna37024384] Transcript of appearances, {{Nowrap|May 9}}, 2010 on Meet the Press, p. 2 On {{Nowrap|June 21}}, Shahzad pleaded guilty to all the charges against him.{{cite news|title=Times Square bomb accused Faisal Shahzad pleads guilty|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10368329.stm|access-date=June 22, 2010|newspaper=BBC News|date=June 21, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621184836/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10368329.stm|archive-date=June 21, 2010|url-status=live}}

=International ties and investigation=

It was reported that Pakistani authorities arrested a number of suspects in the investigation of the attempted car bombing, including two or three people at a house in Pakistan where Shahzad is said to have stayed.{{cite news|url=http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/04/latest-updates-times-square-car-bomb-scare/|title=Latest Updates: Times Square car bomb scare|work=CNN Blogs|publisher=CNN|date=May 4, 2010|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100506032917/http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/04/latest-updates-times-square-car-bomb-scare/|archive-date=May 6, 2010|url-status=dead}} Pakistani intelligence officials said a man named Tauseef, a friend of Shahzad, was detained in Karachi in connection with the case. Representative Jane Harman, a California Democrat, said Pakistani officials arrested "alleged facilitators" as part of a "far broader investigation".{{cite magazine|url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-05-04/times-square-suspect-admits-involvement-holder-says-update1-.html|title=Times Square Suspect Admits Involvement, Holder Says (Update1)|magazine=Bloomberg BusinessWeek|date=May 4, 2010|last=Rubin|first=Jim|access-date=May 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507180803/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-05-04/times-square-suspect-admits-involvement-holder-says-update1-.html|archive-date=May 7, 2010|url-status=dead}}

According to The Wall Street Journal, Shahzad received bomb-making training from the Pakistani Taliban.[Indo-Asian News Service]. [http://www.hindustantimes.com/americas/Taliban-s-suicide-bomb-trainer-tutored-NYK-bombing-suspect/540098/H1-Article1-540060.aspx "Taliban's suicide-bomb trainer tutored NYK bombing suspect"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606004805/http://www.hindustantimes.com/americas/Taliban-s-suicide-bomb-trainer-tutored-NYK-bombing-suspect/540098/H1-Article1-540060.aspx |date=June 6, 2011 }}, Hindustan Times, {{Nowrap|May 6}}, 2010. The Pakistani Taliban are made up overwhelmingly of Pashtun tribesmen.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8665657.stm|title=Pakistan faces Taliban resurgence|work=BBC News|date=March 28, 2010|access-date=May 12, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100513042626/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8665657.stm|archive-date=May 13, 2010|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB126085691907791765|title=Pakistan Resists Role Across the Border|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|author=Matthew Rosenberg|date=December 16, 2009|access-date=August 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201044225/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB126085691907791765|archive-date=December 1, 2017|url-status=live}} According to CBS News, Shahzad has been on the Department of Homeland Security travel lookout list since 1999 because he has been bringing in large amounts of cash (approximately $80,000) into the United States.[http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-20004263-10391695.html "Faisal Shahzad on Homeland Security List since 1999"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507141341/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-20004263-10391695.html |date=May 7, 2010 }}, CBS News, {{Nowrap|May 5}}, 2010.

Attorney General Holder said "the Pakistani Taliban was behind the attack. We know that they helped facilitate it. We know that they probably helped finance it and that he was working at their direction".{{cite web|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/LE12Df01.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100514091742/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/LE12Df01.html|url-status=unfit|archive-date=May 14, 2010|title=Asia Times Online: South Asia news, business and economy from India and Pakistan|publisher=Atimes.com|access-date=May 12, 2010}}

Shahzad told interrogators that he was "inspired by" the radical cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki, to take up the cause of al-Qaeda.{{cite news|last=McElroy|first=Damien|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/7691929/Times-Square-bomb-suspect-had-links-to-terror-preacher.html|title=Times Square bomb suspect had links to terror preacher|newspaper=Telegraph|date=May 7, 2010|access-date=May 7, 2010|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100510010213/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/7691929/Times-Square-bomb-suspect-had-links-to-terror-preacher.html|archive-date=May 10, 2010|url-status=live}} Via the Internet, Shahzad contacted al-Awlaki, Baitullah Mehsud, of the Pakistan Taliban (who was killed in a drone strike in 2009); and a web of jihadists, ABC News reported.{{cite web|url=http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpps/news/times-square-suspect-contacted-radical-cleric-dpgonc-km-20100506_7411371 |title=Times Square Suspect Contacted Radical Cleric |publisher=Myfoxdetroit.com |date=May 1, 2010 |access-date=May 7, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512174654/http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpps/news/times-square-suspect-contacted-radical-cleric-dpgonc-km-20100506_7411371 |archive-date=May 12, 2011 }}{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/faisal-shahzad-contact-awlaki-taliban-mumbai-massacre-mastermind/story?id=10575061|title=Faisal Shahzad Had Contact With Anwar Awlaki, Taliban, and Mumbai Massacre Mastermind, Officials Say – ABC News|publisher=Abcnews.go.com|access-date=May 7, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100509013338/https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/faisal-shahzad-contact-awlaki-taliban-mumbai-massacre-mastermind/story?id=10575061|archive-date=May 9, 2010|url-status=live}}

According to a report of Al Arabiya, Shahzad had recorded a suicide video in which he declared that he planned the attack as revenge for the U.S. war in Afghanistan. In this video, made before his attempted {{Nowrap|May 1}} attack, Shahzad was dressed in traditional, tribal Pashtun clothing and was sitting with an assault rifle.

"The attack on the United States will be a revenge for all the mujahideen and oppressed Muslims," Shahzad said in the tape, according to Al-Arabiya. "Eight years have passed since the Afghanistan war and you shall see how the Muslim war has just begun and how Islam will spread across the world."{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-14/times-square-bomber-shazhad-vowed-revenge-in-video-al-arabiya-reports.html|title=Times Square Would-Be Bomber Vowed Revenge in Video, Al-Arabiya Reports|publisher=Bloomberg|date=July 14, 2010|access-date=July 15, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100718115005/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-14/times-square-bomber-shazhad-vowed-revenge-in-video-al-arabiya-reports.html|archive-date=July 18, 2010|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/07/14/113894.html|title=Faisal Shahzad made suicide video – Al Arabiya airs failed Times Square bomber tape|publisher=Al-Arabiya|date=July 14, 2010|access-date=July 15, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100717011645/http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/07/14/113894.html|archive-date=July 17, 2010|url-status=live}}

=Conviction=

File:Florence ADMAX.jpg, pictured here]]

On October 5, 2010, Shahzad was convicted and sentenced by federal judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum of the Southern District of New York to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.{{cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistani-behind-failed-nyc-bombing-sentenced-104343774/127377.html|title=Pakistani Behind Failed NYC Bombing Sentenced|date=October 5, 2010|work=Voice of America|access-date=October 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101005235407/http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Pakistani-Behind-Failed-NYC-Bombing-Sentenced-104343774.html|archive-date=October 5, 2010|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=Faisal Shahzad Sentenced in Manhattan Federal Court to Life in Prison for Attempted Car Bombing in Times Square|url=https://www.fbi.gov/newyork/press-releases/2010/nyfo100510.htm|publisher=FBI – New York Field Office|date=October 5, 2010|access-date=July 28, 2016|archive-date=May 29, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529111128/https://www.fbi.gov/newyork/press-releases/2010/nyfo100510.htm/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Faisal Shahzad Pleads Guilty in Manhattan Federal Court to 10 Federal Crimes Arising from Attempted Car Bombing in Times Square|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/June/10-ag-721.html|publisher=DOJ – Office of Public Affairs|date=June 21, 2010|access-date=March 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140412223223/http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/June/10-ag-721.html|archive-date=April 12, 2014|url-status=live}} When asked by the judge, "Didn't you swear allegiance to this country?" Shahzad, a naturalized U.S. citizen, replied, "I sweared, but I didn't mean it."{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gV_IpzmTd_-dYu4AcS8pZ37cVNqQ?docId=CNG.206598fb22f92e16a410b484f1166d90.1b1|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130124171849/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gV_IpzmTd_-dYu4AcS8pZ37cVNqQ?docId=CNG.206598fb22f92e16a410b484f1166d90.1b1|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 24, 2013|title=Defiant Times Square bomber jailed for life|last=Smith|first=Sebastian|work=Agence France-Presse|access-date=October 5, 2010}} Shahzad, wearing a white prayer cap, smiled and said "Allahu Akbar" after hearing his sentence. He said he would "sacrifice a thousand lives for Allah."{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/times-square-bomber-faisal-shahzad-sentenced-life/story?id=11802740|title=Times Square Bomber Faisal Shahzad Sentenced To Life|work=ABC News|date=October 5, 2010|access-date=October 17, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101008055548/https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/times-square-bomber-faisal-shahzad-sentenced-life/story?id=11802740|archive-date=October 8, 2010|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Baum|first=Geraldine|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2013081926_bomber06.html|title=Times Square bomber gets life sentence; warns of more attacks|newspaper=Seattle Times|date=October 5, 2010|access-date=October 17, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622074944/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2013081926_bomber06.html|archive-date=June 22, 2011}} He claimed that "War with Muslims has just begun," and that "the defeat of the US is imminent, inshallah [God willing]."{{cite news|author=Deborah Feyerick|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/10/05/new.york.terror.plot/?hpt=T1|title=Times Square bomb plotter sentenced to life in prison|publisher=CNN|date=October 5, 2010|access-date=October 17, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006031547/http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/10/05/new.york.terror.plot/?hpt=T1|archive-date=October 6, 2010|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/10/05/new.york.terror.plot/?hpt=T1|title=Times Square bomb plotter sentenced to life in prison|first=Deborah|last=Feyerick|date=October 5, 2010|work=CNN|access-date=October 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006031547/http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/10/05/new.york.terror.plot/?hpt=T1|archive-date=October 6, 2010|url-status=live}}

Shahzad responded to a judge asking about his justification for the bombing, saying that US drone strikes "don't see children, they don't see anybody. They kill women, children, they kill everybody."{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/dec/28/us-drone-attacks-no-laughing-matter|title=US drone attacks are no laughing matter, Mr Obama|publisher=GuardianUK News|date=December 28, 2010|access-date=December 29, 2010|location=London|first=Mehdi|last=Hasan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130920203141/http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/dec/28/us-drone-attacks-no-laughing-matter|archive-date=September 20, 2013|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title = The Deceptive Debate Over What Causes Terrorism Against the West|url = https://theintercept.com/2016/01/06/the-deceptive-debate-over-what-causes-terrorism-against-the-west/|website = The Intercept|date = January 6, 2016|access-date = January 7, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160106153648/https://theintercept.com/2016/01/06/the-deceptive-debate-over-what-causes-terrorism-against-the-west/|archive-date = January 6, 2016|url-status = live}} Shahzad is serving his life sentence at ADX Florence, a supermax facility in Colorado where the most dangerous male inmates in the federal prison system are held. It is part of the Florence Federal Correctional Complex.[https://archive.today/20120730013400/http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/InmateFinderServlet?Transaction=NameSearch&needingMoreList=false&FirstName=faisal&Middle=&LastName=shahzad&Race=U&Sex=U&Age=&x=0&y=0 Inmate Locator], Federal Bureau of Prisons

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20110930183527/http://www.haguejusticeportal.net/eCache/DEF/12/115.html Extensive background information on Shahzad conviction and related cases], The Hague Justice Portal
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwOiXxTOxrA&feature=player_embedded#! Video:Al Arabiya airs failed Times Square bomber tape], Al Arabiya
[http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Horizons/2010/0504/Faisal-Shahzad-Facebook-mixup-highlights-hazards-of-Web-journalism "Faisal Shahzad Facebook mixup highlights hazards of Web journalism"], The Christian Science Monitor, {{Nowrap|May 4}}, 2010
{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126524232 |title=NY Bomb Suspect Seen As Good Recruit For Militants |publisher=NPR |date=May 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100510025544/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126524232 |archive-date=May 10, 2010 }}
{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126536285|title=Times Square Bomb Attempt Puts Focus On Pakistan|publisher=NPR|date=May 6, 2010}}
Links to U.S. statutes cited in criminal complaint of {{Nowrap|May 4}}, 2010
[https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2332a- 18 USC 2332a (a)(2)(C)]
[https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/921- 18 USC 921])
[https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2332b- 18 USC 2332b (a)(1)(B)]
[https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2332b- 18 USC 2332b (b)(1)(B)]
[https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/921- firearm]
[https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/924- 18 USC 924 (c)(1)(A) and (c)(1)(B)(ii)]
[https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/844- 18 USC 844(d)]
[https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/844- 18 USC 844(i)]