Times Square Bomb Attempt

Cedarbaum asked Shahzad if he understood he might spend the rest of his life in prison. He said he did.

At one point, she asked him if he was sure he wanted to plead guilty.

He said he wanted “to plead guilty and 100 times more” to let the U.S. know that if it did not get out of Iraq and Afghanistan, halt drone attacks and stop meddling in Muslim lands, “we will be attacking U.S.”

The Bridgeport, Conn., resident was arrested trying to leave the country May 3, two days after a gasoline-and-propane bomb failed to ignite in an SUV parked near a Broadway theater.

Authorities said Shahzad immediately cooperated, delaying his initial court appearance for two weeks as he spilled details of a plot meant to sow terror in the world-famous Times Square on a warm Saturday night when it was packed with thousands of potential victims.

The bomb apparently sputtered, emitting smoke that attracted the attention of an alert street vendor, who notified police, setting in motion a rapid evacuation of blocks of a city still healing from the shock of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

According to the indictment issued last week, Shahzad received a total of $12,000 prior to the attack from the Pakistani Taliban through cash drop-offs in Massachusetts and Long Island.

Attorney General Eric Holder said the Pakistani Taliban “facilitated Faisal Shahzad’s attempted attack on American soil.”

Shahzad was accused in the indictment of receiving explosives training in Waziristan, Pakistan, during a five-week trip to that country. He returned to the United States in February.

The indictment said he received $5,000 in cash on Feb. 25 from a co-conspirator in Pakistan and $7,000 more on April 10, allegedly sent at the co-conspirator’s direction.

Shahzad, born in Pakistan, moved to the United States when he was 18.

Pakistan has arrested at least 11 people since the attempted attack. An intelligence official has alleged two of them played a role in the plot. No one has been charged.

Three men in Massachusetts and Maine suspected of supplying money to Shahzad have been detained on immigration charges; one was recently transferred to New York.

Federal authorities have said they believe money was channeled through an underground money transfer network known as “hawala,” but they have said they doubt anyone in the U.S. who provided money knew what it was for.

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Associated Press Writer Larry Neumeister contributed to this story.

The official says Shahzad decided instead to drive the bomb-laden SUV into Times Square on a busy Saturday night. The official says Shahzad had not planned any attacks on the other locations after the May 1 botched bombing.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

NEW YORK (AP) — Appearing relaxed and obedient, the man accused of plotting to kill Americans with a car bomb in Times Square made his first appearance in a Manhattan courtroom where he was told by a magistrate judge that he had the right to remain silent.

Authorities say Faisal Shahzad’s willingness to talk kept him out of court for two weeks, speeding up the progress of an investigation into his May 1 plot to set off a homemade car bomb on a spring Saturday evening amid hundreds of people enjoying the tourist haven.

Authorities said shortly after Shahzad’s May 3 arrest that he had admitted driving the SUV bomb into Times Square and told authorities he had received terror training during a recent five-month trip to Pakistan.

His cooperation did not eliminate the need to bring him to court Tuesday to face five charges, including attempted use of weapons of mass destruction and attempted acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, each of which carry potential penalties of life in prison.

The hearing lasted only 10 minutes. Shahzad, 30, a Pakistan-born U.S. citizen, confirmed with a “yes” that his financial affidavit was accurate, permitting him to be appointed an assistant public defender, Julia Gatto, who declined to comment afterward.

Shahzad, wearing a gray sweat suit and with his hair a bit longer than in photos splashed around the world, was treated like any other prisoner, except for the extra court officers on hand. The courtroom was closed just before his appearance for a security sweep.

There was also no sign that Shahzad had secured any special benefits from his cooperation, though he was wearing a sweatsuit rather than a prison uniform. When the hearing ended, he stood up and handcuffs were put on his wrists behind his back. He walked out without looking at spectators, including mostly prosecutors, investigators and reporters.

Magistrate Judge James C. Francis read him his rights, including his right to remain silent, and warned him that anything he might say could be used against him. He was detained without bail in the attack in which the bomb never exploded and no one was hurt.

The ex-budget analyst from Bridgeport, Conn., was pulled two days after the attempted attack from a Dubai-bound plane at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

In addition to the most serious charges, Shahzad was also charged with using a destructive device in an attempted violent crime, punishable by up to 30 years in prison; transporting and receiving explosives, punishable by up to 10 years; and attempting to damage and destroy property with fire and explosives, punishable by five to 20 years.

Since his arrest, Shahzad “has provided valuable intelligence from which further investigative action has been taken,” the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan said in a statement Tuesday.

Federal authorities raided locations in three states last week and picked up three men on immigration violations. The men are suspected of providing money to Shahzad to help build the homemade bomb of fireworks, propane and battery-operated alarm clocks.

Officials in Pakistan have taken several people into custody, including two men arrested last week on suspicion of helping finance the failed plot.

CIA Director Leon Panetta and retired Gen. James Jones, President Barack Obama’s national security adviser, were in Pakistan meeting with officials there on the failed Times Square bombing and the terrorist safe havens where the suspect is believed to have received training.

In light of the attack, said National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer, “we believe that it is time to redouble our efforts with our allies in Pakistan to close this safe haven and create an environment where we and the Pakistani people can lead safe and productive lives.”

One U.S. official said the trip is not confined to the Times Square bombing issues, but noted that the emphasis is on cooperation between the U.S. and Pakistan and what both countries need to do to keep pressure on the extremists in that region. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the meetings.

Shahzad appeared in court on the same day a New York defense attorney wrote a letter to a chief federal court judge demanding he be produced.

Ron Kuby accused authorities of violating Shahzad’s rights by “squeezing him for information” in secret.

Authorities have not publicly addressed a possible motive for Shahzad. But in e-mails provided by a Connecticut doctor, Shahzad complained that Muslims were under siege around the globe and that Muslim countries were doing little to respond.

“Everyone knows how the Muslim country bows down to pressure from the West,” he wrote on Feb. 25, 2006. “Everyone knows the kind of humiliation we are faced with around the globe.”

The e-mails, first reported by The New York Times, were provided to The Associated Press by Dr. Saud Anwar, a founder of the Pakistani American Association of Connecticut, who said he was given them by a Shahzad friend who received them.

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Associated Press writer Tom Hays in New York, John Christoffersen in New Haven, Conn., and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.