Suspect Found and Arrested in Saturday's Bomb Plot

(USA Today) A suspect in the failed car bombing attempt Saturday in Times Square in New York City was arrested around midnight Monday while trying to leave the country, according to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. The suspect was identified as Faisal Shahzad, a U.S. citizen, who was stopped at the John F. Kennedy International Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. There was no information released on Shahzad's hometown. Law enforcement officials earlier stated the suspect recently returned from a trip to Pakistan and bought the 1993 Nissan Pathfinder used in the car bomb attempt three weeks ago and had paid cash. Holder said at a brief news conference that officials had "gathered significant additional evidence" on Monday that led to the arrest. "We continue to pursue a number of leads. But it's clear that the intent behind this terrorist act was to kill Americans," Holder said. Holder also added "We will focus on not just holding those responsible for it accountable, but also on obtaining any intelligence about terrorist organizations overseas."

Hundreds of New York police and federal investigators had joined in the manhunt Monday for witnesses and suspects to Saturday's bombing attempt. There was videotape reviewed from a network of 82 police surveillance cameras posted in the area and footage and "dozens" of other private security cameras in the busy entertainment district. A review of hundreds of hours of videotape produced the grainy likenesses of at least two men, one shown changing his shirt in the vicinity of where the device failed to detonate. The image was captured by a private security camera posted nearby. A second video shows a man fleeing the area on foot. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the botched attempt was "intended to terrorize, absolutely" and "whoever did that would be characterized as a terrorist." New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Sunday that surveillance video shows the car arriving in the Times Square area at 6:28 p.m. Saturday. Within minutes, a street vendor alerted police to smoke coming from the vehicle. Investigators discovered three propane tanks, fertilizer, two 5-gallon containers full of gasoline and a "bird's nest" of wires connecting two alarm clocks to a can of M-88 fireworks.

There's another article in USA Today which says that a Muslim terror group in Pakistan that is vowing to attack U.S. cities and took credit for a failed car bombing in Times Square is emerging as a serious threat. However, it may not necessarily be Al-Qaeda that's involved. Evan Kohlmann, a terrorism analyst who served as a consultant for the U.S. government, said the device--as described by police--is crude and bears little likeness to the work of Al-Qaeda. Could it be the Taliban behind it? There have been claims that the Pakistan Taliban could be morphing into a more global platform and direct threat to the West. Regardless whether it's Al-Qaeda, the Pakistani Taliban, or any terrorist group, the US. needs to get to the bottom of the matter. America needs to gear its forces in trying to stop whatever terrorist group is a threat to the U.S. or the West. America was fortunate that the bomb, like the Christmas Day bombing plot, failed to detonate. This man was of Pakistani descent. Why didn't Janet Napolitano and the Department of Homeland Security do a more thorough job in tracking down Shahzad? Why do we allow those type of people to come to the U.S.? That's why it's so important to crack down on illegal immigration. It's also important that the INS keeps a better track of the background of the immigrants who come to the U.S. before granting them citizenship status. The U.S. government needs to be cautious in who they allow to cross our borders.

If the FBI or the Department of Homeland Security determine that Faisal Shahzad has ties to some Muslim terrorist group, it should be considered as an act of war and he should be tried before a military tribunal. I know many liberals and the ACLU believe terrorist criminals should be tried before civilian courts. I know he's a U.S. citizen, but if he's working with an overseas terrorist group, he should be cried as a war criminal. Some would disagree with that assessment given he's a U.S. citizen, but any terrorist acts that take place in America which have ties to Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or some Muslim terrorist group should be tried in a military tribunal. The government needs to restrict on the type of immigrants who can come to the United States and receive citizenship. Anybody that's from a foreign country and has ties to a Muslim terrorist group shouldn't be allowed to enter the U.S.