Faisal Shahzad
Faisal Shahzad (Urdu: فیصل شہزاد; born June 30, 1979) is a Pakistani-American citizen who was arrested for the attempted May 1, 2010, Times Square car bombing. On 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.[4]
Faisal Shahzad
Former financial analyst
Arrested as the prime suspect in 2010 Times Square car bomb attempt
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[1]
Huma Asif Mian[2]
2
Baharul Haq (father)[3]
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)
Shahzad was arrested approximately 53 hours after the attempt,[5] at 11:45 p.m. EDT on May 3, 2010, by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.[6][7] He was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport, after boarding Emirates Flight 202 to Dubai.[8][9][10] His final destination had been Islamabad, Pakistan.
A federal complaint was filed on May 4, alleging that Shahzad committed five terrorism-related crimes, including the attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction.[11] Shahzad waived his constitutional right to a speedy hearing.[8][2][6][12]
Shahzad has reportedly implicated himself in the crimes, and has given information to authorities since his arrest.[6][13] Shahzad admitted training in bomb-making at a camp run by the Taliban in the Waziristan region in Pakistan along the Afghan border.[2] As of May 7, Shahzad was continuing to answer questions and provide intelligence to investigators.[12] Pakistani officials have arrested more than a dozen people in connection with the plot.
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.[14]
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.[15]
Biography[edit]
Early life and education[edit]
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.[16][17][18] His father was born in the village of Mohib Banda (near Peshawar).[19] Shahzad comes from a wealthy, well-educated family in northwest Pakistan.[8]
Shahzad's father, Baharul Haq, lives in the Peshawar suburb of Hayatabad.[20] 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.[8][21] He is a deputy director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan.[22][23] He had begun as a common airman, but became a fighter pilot excelling in aerobatics, and was posted in England and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.[15]
Shahzad is probably of mixed ethnic background because the Government of Pakistan stated that he is of Kashmiri descent[24][25] but Shahzad identified himself as Pashtun.[15][26]
The New York Times reported that Shahzad's life seems to have followed a