Faisal Shahzad, Pakistani, Arrested in Failed New York City Car Bomb Attack

If you’ve been following the media, you would have heard of the failed car bomb attack on Time Square in New York City. Street vendors saw smoke coming out of a car in Times Square on Saturday, May Day, 2010. The device was very poorly and amateurishly made. A video captured a man in an alleyway who seemed to have recently vacated the bomb vehicle.

A fingerprint ID’d Shahzad, originally of the Malakand Region of Northwest Pakistan, who was naturalized in 2009. A manhunt was soon underway. He was arrested today as he tried to board a flight out of the US to an unknown location.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in response to the recent killing of two top Iraqi Al Qaeda leaders in Iraq in Tikrit. US forces surrounded the house and as they closed in, a bomb blast, apparently a from a suicide bomb vest, was heard inside. A US helicopter circling the site crashed, resulting in two US casualties.

Despite denials by Juan Cole and some of the antiwar crowd, the Pakistani Taliban now has deep ties to Al Qaeda, ties which deepen the more we stage drone attacks on them. In fact, it is the Pakistani Taliban who is harboring Al Qaeda in North and South Waziristan, Bajaur, Khyber, Mohmand and Dir in the northwest of Pakistan.

I doubt if this was an official Pakistani Taliban operation. They make way better bombs than this, and this was pretty much of a Rube Goldberg contraption. Seems like a Muslim version of the lone wolf phenomenon.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I’m sure the Republicans will play this as, “Obama failing to protect us from Muslim terror,” and the Moronican US public will probably buy it.

Recall that when George Bush failed to protect us from Muslim terror and 3,100 Americans were killed and one of our greatest landmarks destroyed, he was a national hero with 9

I don’t expect any kind of morality from Republican politicians, but it would be nice if their fanboys were not such a bunch of retards.

His Twitter page is here.

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23 thoughts on “Faisal Shahzad, Pakistani, Arrested in Failed New York City Car Bomb Attack”

  1. Robert, a couple of things here:

    1 – Is that really his Facebook page? Crazy times we live in. If it is, that young kid just wasted his life. Say hello to a supermax cell fort he next 60 or 70 years. What an ignorant asshole.

    2 – I find it amusing that he was described as a “white male” seen leaving the van by both officials and the newspapers a few days back. I wonder if it is on account of the fact that he is ethnically Pashtun. They can pass as “white” in many cases, especially in a place like New York, were so many White folks are “ethnic looking.” If so, was he a deliberate pick? If he was, that tells me that perhaps the hands of a knowledgeable intelligence official or group had it’s hand in this, at least in the pointers for his selection. Then again, might just be luck.

    3 – Believe it or not, I see this amateur action not only as being connected to Al Qaeda, but directly relating to Iran’s growing influence in Afghanistan, and amongst the Afghan Taliban and President Karzai. The loose collection of tribal affiliates and combatants we call the Taliban has largely been reinvented. The Taliban of 2001 in no more. These new guys, at least in Afghanistan, have little stomach for stupid Arab crap, and actually fight to win. Such as it is, they also hate the Pakistani ISI. How this relates to the Pashtun regions of Pakistan is the question. My hunch is that the ISI and the Saudis(be it Saudi intelligence or individual Saudis themselves) fear such a spread continuing into Pakistan’s “frontier” regions. Another moronic terrorist attack blamed on the “Taliban/Al Qaeda” combination works wonders for them politically. It puts Al Qaeda back on the center stage, where it does not deserve to be, and renews Saudi influence where it has been waning for years. The idea being that it could then spread through the Pashtun ranks into Afghanistan. The Saudis fear one thing. The Iranians and their growing influence everywhere around them. The ISI is their lapdog, and they think this would have been a means to begin to rollback that influence. Fat chance, but that is how they think. Very primitive.

  2. I don’t really see how Iran could have influence w/ the Taliban. All those Sunni extremists regard Shi’is as somewhat lower than whale s**t, and you know where that is. Is that really what you meant to say?

  3. Mort, it is not so much as how Iran could influence the Taliban, as simply deal with them. The Taliban is not about to receive marching orders from Tehran at all, nor does Tehran need or want to do so. What is at stake in simply stability, and the status quo. You see, Saudi Arabia and it sugar-honey Pakistan rely on a sort of constant inflow of ideologically backed money to conduct a form of foreign policy in the region. This worked for awhile, but the current situation does not bod well to this outdated approach. It is the ideology of Wahhabi/Salafi extremism that views the Shia in such a antagonistic way. Not that the rest of Sunni Islam has any love for the Shia branch, but that is another story. This is ultimately purely the religious angle. There is much more of an ethnic and cultural element taking place here. What is at play is the notion that the Pashtuns, and as a result the Taliban, will unequivocally reflect this extremist philosophy from the Arabian peninsula. The simple truth is, they have no requirement to. It does not reflect their own rather esoteric culture. In fact, the Pashtuns were largely viewed as nightmarish in their non-Islamic cultural practices by the various Gulf Arabs who ended up in the region in the last 25 years. Their behavior was utterly foreign to the Arab “tourists” in the region. This is not the least bit surprising for anyone who knows the culture(s) of the area. The Arabs might well have been as foreign to the Afghans as are the Americans, or were the Russians, or Chinese.

    So, to clarify, is not that the Taliban is some how “friends” or loyal to Iran, but really just cooperating for business. Not being enemies, if you will. That, by definition, expands Iranian influence. This is enough to send the ISI and their Saudi masters into a frenzy, since Riyadh views Tehran as it’s number one nemesis on Earth. In the end, the Sunni/Shia divide is not so much intrinsic to the area, as imported. This as much as anything else, be it communism, democracy, or Islam itself.

    In other words, don’t weigh religion’s influence as higher than culture, language or race. It is too artificial to be so all encompassing. Especially the case in Central Asia.

    Does this clarify what I am saying for you?

    1. Cyrus, I see what you’re trying to say. I think I’d have to have more evidence before I’d buy it, though. I’ve read a lot about the topic, and this is the first time I’ve heard a perspective like that. Not that it’s wrong, mind you. I’m just not sure.

      1. Mort, I wouldn’t expect anyone with a pulse to take my word for it. I am just a total stranger on the “Internets.” I can point you in the direction of two authors with an insight into the region that jives with my own experiences, though. Robert Baer, of “Syriana” and CIA fame, and Tom Cooper, without a doubt the foremost expert on the the Iranian military, as well as the military reality of surrounding nations.

        My own observation is that 90-95% of what is available in the mainstream on the region is wrong…Just my 2 cents.

        1. The Taliban has been saying for a long time now that Iran has been arming them. But they also say that Russia and China are arming them too. Apparently none of the big powers in that area want us there with all of our troops and military bases, Iran in particular, I would imagine. Iran’s foreign policy is often counterintuitive and hard to figure out. Often the enemy of my enemy is my friend type thing.

        2. Robert, it is known fact that the Taliban both have and use Iranian made weapons, for example. They prefer the quality and price over Chinese and second-hand Russian stuff. No dispute there. You can google Taliban fighters telling reporters how much the love the Iranian stuff. They make everything. AK-47’s with composite stocks, M-16 knock-offs, improved RPG’s, etc, etc, etc…They literally are the weapons “Bazaar” supplier of the region, and that is what they want to be known for.

          The real question is, how and why those weapons are getting there. The Iranians now days are a rather major weapons manufacturer, maybe not in the same degree as the “big 5,” but they do sell a lot of their small arms and ammunition all over the place, especially in Africa(it has even been rumored that Shahab-3 IRBM missiles have been exported and used in African conflicts in the last few years), and even Latin America to a lesser extent. There is a real reason the U.N slapped Iran with a “ban” on any weapons exports.

          So, the question is, are the Taliban simply buying Iranian weapons on the open market, since the Iranians will sell to literally anyone, or are they being given weapons for free, for a purpose. My own hunch is that this is just “business” and nothing more. The Iranians want to make a buck. Since Herat is pretty much an unofficial extension of Iran nowadays anyways, it is easy for such business transactions to take place.

  4. Juan Cole is kind of a small “h” hero to the progs.

    As far as I’m concerned he’s a twit. I believe wiki used to put it this way. (Cole) “elected not to initially oppose” the (Iraq) war.” “Coming around to oppose it..what a coward–or maybe he was hping it would go well, just like Hillary was when she okayed it. You can’t trust a guy married to a Bahai’ not to co-operate with American imperialism against Traditional Islam, Shia or Sunni, even if the guy is critical of Israeli oppression and the Zionist Lobby.

    1. Juan Cole was “for it” at some point? Do explain. I thought he against the Iraq War from the get go, but then again, I didn’t read Juan Cole back in 2003, so I could very well be wrong. Also, love the shot at Bahais there. You been hanging around Iranians or something? 😀

    2. All I know is that Cole *really* hated Saddam. I mean he hated his guts. I always thought his wife was a Shia, not a Bahai. And I heard that Cole himself converted to Bahaism a while back, but I think he’s left it by now. I used to know Cole and have discussions with him from time to time, but now that he’s all famous, it seems to be impossible to get in contact with the guy. One thing for sure, he’s *not* an anti-Semite! He used to get mad at me sometimes and practically accuse me of being one. If anything, he’s Judeophilic. The Jews have really reamed him bad lately, especially denying him a post at Yale for no good reason via pressure from big Jewish donors to the hiring committee. I wonder if all of that is going to have an effect on him sometimes, but I’m dubious. Cole is hardcore liberal PC all the way!

      But that’s the thing about Jews. If the biggest Judeophiles start criticizing those Jew-Nazis in Israel, and the Jews can really cream you good. Not only will they call you anti-Semite til the cows come home, but they will seriously try to trash your career too.

      I assume a lot of folks come out of that at least somewhat anti-Semitic. So Jews definitely create at least some anti-Semites, and I think they do it on purpose. I never understood, unless they dig having tons of enemies, which I suspect is also true.

      1. Wow! You known Juan Cole. That is pretty cool. I also had no idea that he got cheated out of a seat at Yale. Ridiculous. I guess it shows that everyone hates you when you try and speak some truth.

        In my own experience, I grew up around a lot of Jews, and never had a problem. The exception being when I express my own views on the so-called “Middle East.” I am largely indifferent to Israel, and by comparison, really don’t like Arabs. Yet…I get nailed as an “antisemite” for pointing out the obvious when questioned. For instance, Jews, Palestinians, Lebanese and Syrians are all cousins! Don’t say that. That makes you an antisemite.

        Or, more to the point, when some of my Jewish friends start making comments about Iran or Central Asia, when in fact they know nothing of the region, and are clearly full of shit. Nothing is more fun than having a finger pointed at you for being a “nazi,” when all you are doing in pointing out some facts…Kind of like the fact that some villager in Iran or Afghanistan generally doesn’t even know what the hell a Jew is.

        Oh well…I guess I am just practicing taqiyya, anyways… 😀

        1. Not sure why saying Jews and the rest are cousins would make you an antisemite, when even the late Meir Kahane sardonically referred to them as such. I’m not sure it’s true; I’ve heard Jews are more closely related in a DNA sense to Kurds and Armenians, but I couldn’t care less myself. The only thing I can think of is that Arabs are pretty unpopular all around, and most other peoples would rather not be equated with them. This would especially be true if a given people like the Jews is generally at odds with them. IIRC, most Iranians get pretty pissy if you equate them with Arabs. I’m not sure why that is; it might merely be that Iranians represent an ancient culture and resent being eclipsed by upstarts like the Arabs.

          As for villagers in Iran or Afghanistan, you’re probably right. But I’ll bet they have opinions about Jews based on religious training, etc. To be fair, I’ve met a lot of Iranian expats, some religious, some not particularly, and none of them seem like hard core antisemites to me.

        2. Mort, that was probably a bad comparison, as far as everyone in the Levant being “cousins” and such. That is not what gets me in hot water at all. In fact, most Jewish folks acknowledge that, unless they are just ideological morons. It is my criticism of EVERYONE”S behavior or involvement in the region that gets me scorned. From Turkey to Israel to Egypt to Iran to Russia to Saudi Arabia, and of course, the U.S.

          In the case of Israel, a certain number of my fellow Americans, be they Jewish or Evangelical Christian or whatever, take an affront to any criticism of the Israeli government. For me, that is odd. I generally hate all governments everywhere, because all governments ultimately suck at some point. As it is, that is what gets me labeled “antisemitic,” which is ironic when you figure I have no bone to pick the Israel, and actually kind of admire the little country for it’s ingenuity and dexterity.

          You are spot on in your notion of antisemitism in Iran or Afghanistan. Those folks just don’t know, and wouldn’t care to. They have to be “programmed” to it, and as such, I have a serious hatred of the Iranian government because of it. Using the Holocaust and it’s denial as a means of winning favor in the “Arab World,” when they are neither Arabs, and as such are in fact hated by the Arabs at least as much as the Jews are.

          No, the Iranian government is willing to slander Jews, it’s own ancient history and the good name of it’s people, to please Arabs for the sole reason of having control over a good portion of the world’s oil and natural gas supply. Anything for money and power, I suppose…

  5. from wiki

    “From the beginning of his blog in 2002, Cole has warned of the difficulties a U.S. invasion of Iraq would present, especially in its aftermath. At first he tried to dissociate himself from either pro-war or anti-war stances, stating that he had “mixed feelings” on the issue. (I.e., he opposed Saddam Hussein’s regime, but feared disaster.) [51]

    Cole now blames the George W. Bush administration for creating what he calls a “failed state” in Iraq.

    At the war’s inception he was not opposed to it, unlike 80% of the Democratic Party rank and file.
    A coward.

    1. I see. Did not know that. Personally, I’ve never had much stomach for wish-washy types. I read Cole because he is pretty knowledgeable of the Near East, Central and South Asia, but I had no idea he was so “on the fence” about that issue in particular, at that time.

  6. Funny how at a time when we are threatened by the Islamofascists, we are passing laws to keep potential Hispanic citizens out of the country. Why was this scumbag even let into the country in the first place?

    1. Potential “Hispanic” citizens? You mean millions upon millions of folks with a 3th grade education or less, and the tons of poorly refined meth and crack that follow them here? Yah, I guess MS 13 isn’t a terrorist organization. It is a Hispanic business contribution to the fabric of our society.
      At least this “Shahzad” loser could read and write…In his own native language. I’ll remember that next time some Mexican fool is waving his flag around, and tells us “gringos” that we don’t actually own the land. Sure, we need another 10 or 20 million of those folks. American heroes in the making.

      Here is a brilliant idea. How about you stop supporting the idea that it is cool to kill 50 or 60 innocent people in wedding parties every week in the village where this clown was from, and maybe such “blowback” wouldn’t be an issue. Pretty tight concept, eh?

    2. Because this ‘scumbag’ has a pretty decent education and was a productive member of society. You cannot foresee how people would turn out. Tell all the Aisan and East Indians to leave the country and see what happens to America. It will be run by incompetent blacks and Hispanics ‘losers’.

  7. America is fast losing its greatness because it has allowed millions and millions of Hispanics into the country. I don’t wish to sound racist, but these folks are not the brightest. Add to that, blacks that are even worse when it comes achievements and education. You should be thankful that you have allowed millions of Asians (includes people from Indian Subcontinent and MiddleEast) too. I wonder how much productivity America would lose from its economy in terms of GDP if the 15 to 20 million or so Asians decided to leave the country (hypothetically). For one, what would happen to the high tech industry?

    Lot of Hispanics have a ghetto culture and behave like the blacks. I really do foresee a doomed America.

    1. There are only 9 million Asians in the US, and most are not going anywhere. Getting rid of all the Hindu 1-B parasites would be the greatest thing that ever happened to the IT industry in America. Maybe Americans, especially White Americans, could get IT jobs again.

  8. By the way, the guy on the Facebook page is not the same guy; he is also a Pakistani but is ethnically different to Faisal Shahzad.

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