Asia-Pacific

Man arrested over NY bomb attempt

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-05-04 13:35

NEW YORK - A man of Pakistani origin has been arrested on suspicion he bought the vehicle used in the failed car bombing in New York's Times Square last weekend, a law enforcement official told Reuters early on Tuesday.

FBI spokesman Richard Kolko confirmed "a person has been detained" and another law enforcement source said the suspect "was arrested while trying to leave the country."

One official said the man was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

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The New York Times said the man was a naturalized U.S. citizen from Pakistan who lives in neighboring Connecticut and recently returned from a trip to Pakistan.

The sources said the arrested man was believed to be the buyer of the 1993 Nissan sport utility vehicle used to carry the crude bomb made of fuel and fireworks into Times Square as it was packed with people on a warm Saturday evening.

For New Yorkers who bore the brunt of the Sept. 11 attacks by al Qaeda militants in 2001, the scare was a reminder that their city of 8 million people is under constant threat.

"Investigators who were tracking the man were also exploring whether he or others who might have been involved in the attempted bombing had been in contact with people or groups overseas," the Times said, citing unnamed federal officials.

Law enforcement sources told Reuters that Saturday's attempted attack may have involved more than one person and could have international ties.

The hunt for the suspects has now been taken over by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, led by the Justice Department, as investigators pore over surveillance camera footage, the Pathfinder and the bomb parts for clues.