From Denny: The naturalized Pakistani-American New York Times Square so-called alleged yet confessed bomber, Faisal Shahzad, has taken control of the news cycle since this past weekend. I’ll bet Goldman Sachs is thrilled to get off the hot seat for a short while. What’s terrible about this bomber is he was prepared to kill hundreds of children. Yet this guy is a father himself.
What’s more irritating is that Pakistan actually thinks they have no responsibility in this mess. The bomber disappears into Pakistan for five months and returns to America a changed person who is ready to kill the very people who friended him for over a decade. Sounds like a case of brainwashing to me. As long as Pakistan gives refuge to terrorist camps they are equally responsible.
The one funny thing about this incident is that the Republicans are apoplectic that the Obama administration caught this guy so quickly. The Republicans are actually trying to find something to say negative about Obama’s performance and end up looking more lame by the minute. Why would anyone complain that the intelligence, homeland security, FBI and other alphabet soup agencies actually got their acts together for a change and shared intelligence and resources to track down the bomber? Answer: only the Republicans could be that stupid. The way they are always wailing about who is and who isn’t patriotic it sure makes them look pro-terrorist when they criticize Obama for catching a terrorist.
And another thing… since it was a Saudi airline that refused to run the bomber’s name through Homeland Security to check if he was on the no-fly list (he was) then it sure makes them look like they are giving refuge to terrorists by helping them fly out of the country after committing a crime. It’s bad enough the Saudis own our ports and our biggest banks and credit card companies, now they have an airline that thinks it can subvert American law on a whim. Anything just a bit suspicious here? Maybe it’s high time to kick the Saudi businesses out of America – especially the airlines.
*** ALSO: BP Only Responsible to $75 Million 4 Oil Disaster By USA Law
Bomb Suspect: How Was He Caught?
Insight and analysis of the Times Square bomb arrest. Harry Smith talks to Bob Orr, CBS News Homeland Security Correspondent and Juan Zarate, CBS News National Security Analyst.
Pakistan Detains Several in Times Square Plot (CBS)
Friend of Bomb Suspect Faisal Shahzad Among Those Held in Connection with Failed Attack
Pakistani authorities have detained several people in connection with the bombing attempt in New York’s Times Square, intelligence officials said Tuesday.
One of the men, identified as Tauseef, was a friend of Faisal Shahzad, the American citizen of Pakistani origin who is in custody in the United States over the failed attack, one official said. He was arrested in the southern city of Karachi, said the official, who like all Pakistani spies refused to be named in the media.
Another official said several people had been taken into custody in Karachi since the failed attack Saturday. Some media reports described them as relatives of Shahzad.
According to CBS News’ Maria Usman, four to eight people are being held after a series of law enforcement raids.
Officials didn’t say when the detentions had taken place. They said no charges had been filed.
Shahzad was on board a Dubai-bound flight that was taxiing away from the gate at New York’s Kennedy Airport late Monday when the plane was stopped and FBI agents and New York Police Department detectives took him into custody, law enforcement officials said.
U.S. officials have said the 30-year-old had recently returned from a five-month stay in Pakistan, raising speculation he may have been in contact with al Qaeda or Taliban groups in the South Asian country.
Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik said initial information showed Shahzad and his family came from the Pabbi region of northwest Pakistan, but that Shahzad had a Karachi identity card…
Faisal Shahzad Kept Low Profile in U.S. (CBS)
Former Neighbors of Accused Times Square Bomber the Married Father of Two Kept To Himself, Claimed to Work on Wall St.
Faisal Shahzad gave the impression of a quiet family man, raising two small children with his wife in Shelton, Conn. and telling neighbors he worked on Wall Street.
Now the Pakistani-American is accused of trying to detonate a homemade car bomb in New York City’s bustling Times Square. Authorities have brought terrorism and mass destruction charges against him, saying he has confessed to receiving explosives training in Pakistan…
Despite becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen on April 17, 2009, Shahzad spent much of the past year outside of the country, mostly in Pakistan where his wife, Huma Mian, is currently living. Details of his activities abroad remain unclear, but a picture of his life in American began to emerge Tuesday.
Shahzad had been living here on the second floor of a house in Bridgeport, Conn. for a couple of months though he’s been coming in and out of the U.S. for at least 11 years.
He kept a low profile in his working-class Bridgeport neighborhood where people often come and go, reports CBS News correspondent Jim Axelrod. Shown a picture of Shahzad, a neighborhood woman told Axelrod, “I never saw him before.” She turned out to be Shahzad’s next-door neighbor.
Before Bridgeport, Shahzad, along with his wife and children, a boy and a girl, lived for about three years in a two-story Colonial-style three-bedroom home in Shelton, Conn.
Shahzad bought the home for $273,000 and lost it to foreclosure last year. Frank DelVecchio, a broker trying to sell it for Shahzad, said Shahzad told him to let the bank take the house. He says Shahzad said he owed too much on it and planned to return to Pakistan.
Shahzad was granted a student visa in December of 1998. He graduated from the University of Bridgeport with a computer science degree in 2000 and an MBA in 2005. He worked as a junior financial analyst for a marketing firm in Norwalk, Conn. until 2009.
Faisal Shahzad Was Read Miranda Rights After Initial Questioning (CBS)
Alleged terrorist Faisal Shahzad was initially questioned by authorities under the public safety exception to the Miranda rule, Deputy Director of the FBI John S. Pistole said today at a press conference. Shahzad, who faces terrorism charges for a failed attempt to blow up a car in Times Square, was later read his Miranda rights and continued to cooperate with authorities after that, Pistole said.
Shahzad was arrested late Monday night as he was boarding a Dubai-bound flight at John F. Kennedy International Airport on charges that he parked a bomb-laden car in Times Square in New York City…
Pakistan Vows Aid in Times Square Investigation (CBS)
But Embassy Says It Appears Suspect Faisal Shahzad Was a “Disturbed Individual” Acting Alone
Pakistan’s embassy says it will work with U.S. intelligence to unravel the failed Times Square bombing but that at the moment it appears the would-be bomber was a lone “disturbed individual.”
Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistani-born U.S. citizen, is under arrest for the failed bombing.
“An overwhelming majority of Pakistani Americans share the aspirations of civilized people everywhere for a terror-free world and should be seen as allies against the misguided individuals who undertake or plan acts of terror,” Ambassador Husain Haqqani said in a statement released by the embassy.
Times Square Link Could Force Pakistan’s Hand (CBS)
The arrest of a Pakistani-born American man for driving a failed car bomb into New York’s Times Square on Saturday has once again thrust the south Asian country under the global spotlight as a center of terrorism, just as the Obama administration seeks to shore-up Pakistani support for Washington’s fight in Afghanistan.
Faisal Shahzad’s arrest followed the appearance of a video message on the Internet by Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud, claiming responsibility for the Times Square attempt.
Obama on Times Square Attack: “We Will not be Terrorized” (CBS)
President Obama said Tuesday that Americans “will not cower in fear” in response to the attempted terror attack in Times Square, calling the incident “another sobering reminder of the times in which we live.”
“We know the aim of those who try to carry out these attacks is to force us to live in fear,” he said. “And thereby amplifying the effect of their attacks, even those that fail. But as Americans, and as a nation, we will not be terrorized. We will not cower in fear, we will not be intimidated. We will be vigilant, we will work together, and we will protect and defend the country we love to ensure a safe and prosperous future for our people.”
Mr. Obama, at the start of remarks to the Business Council, said Americans “can be assured that the FBI and their partners in this process have all the tools and experience they need to learn everything we can.”
“That includes what if any connection this individual has to terrorist groups,” he said. “And it includes collecting critical intelligence as we work to disrupt any future attacks.”
The president said the suspect in the case, Faisal Shahzad, is now being questioned and vowed that “justice will be done.” He said his national security team “will continue to do everything in our power to protect the American people.”
“Around the world and here at home, there are those who would attack our citizens and who would slaughter innocent men, women and children in pursuit of their murderous agenda,” he said. “They will stop at nothing to kill and disrupt our way of life, but once again an attempted attack has been – [it has] failed.”
“It has failed because ordinary citizens were vigilant, and reported suspicious activities to the authorities,” continued Mr. Obama. “It failed because these authorities, local, state and federal, acted quickly and did what they were trained to do.”
The president noted that he had personally thanked citizens and law enforcement officials involved in the effort and said the suspect was caught “because of close and effective coordination at every level, including our joint terrorism task force and U.S. Customs and Border protection.”
He added that in their response to the attempted attack, “New Yorkers have reminded us once again of how to live with their heads held high.”
Napolitano: Not All Bomb Attempts May Fail (CBS – May 3)
Homeland Security Secretary Says All Leads in Times Square Car Bomb Plot Are Being Tracked to Their Source
After the latest attempt at a terrorism event in the heart of New York City this weekend, in which a Nissan Pathfinder filled with incendiary materials ignited but failed to detonate, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said that there are no guarantees that other such terror plots will not succeed.
Saturday’s event (which New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg called “amateurish”) is merely the latest in a long line of terror attempts.
When asked on CBS’ “The Early Show” whether it is inevitable that a terrorism attempt in New York City will succeed, and whether the country is prepared for such an event, Napolitano said, “Oh, I think we have a very strong, mentally-prepared country, and I think New York City has one of the most robust law enforcement and security structures of the entire country.
“So, yes, we work together to minimize risk, and if one of these attacks were to, in fact, succeed, we would be prepared to respond very quickly.
“Every time an event like this occurs, we send information out to state, local law enforcement,” she told anchor Harry Smith. “They are the eyes and ears of the law enforcement community around the country, watching out for abandoned vehicles or in this case as a very alert pedestrian noticed, you know, smoke coming out of a vehicle.
“Everybody needs to be and is a part of the process here – of being watchful, of being vigilant. But can we give you 100 percent guarantee that one these things might not be successful? No. We can only work as we are to make sure risk is minimized.”
“Does this feel like a solo act, or do you believe a conspiracy might be involved?” asked Smith.
“I think that we don’t know enough yet to conclude one way or the other. I think we know that there are investigative leads that need to be pursued.
“They are being pursued through a joint task force, including the New York City Police Department plus the FBI and law enforcement officials from our department. So every lead that has been generated is being tracked to its source.”
White House: Lift Liability Cap for Gulf Spill (CBS)
Obama Administration Wants Congress to Change Law Capping BP’s Liability for Oil Spill
The White House is pushing to lift the limit on how much BP pays for the Gulf Coast oil spill.
Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday the administration wants to work with Congress to change a law that caps at $75 million BP’s liability for economic damages like lost wages or dwindling tourist dollars.
BP PLC is responsible for all cleanup costs under the Oil Pollution Act, but Gibbs said that other costs could easily top $75 million.
Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez is co-sponsoring a measure that would raise the liability limit to $10 billion. Menendez also wants it to be made retroactive so it can apply to the huge spill that began after an oil rig exploded in the Gulf on April 20.
Gibbs said the administration supported Menendez’s attempts to raise the limit retroactively. He also noted that if BP is found to have acted negligently or violated the law, the cap would not be in effect. The Oil Pollution Act was passed in 1990 in response to the Exxon Valdez spill.
Menendez said he was confident that the liability measure could be applied retroactively. He cited the 30-year-old Superfund law that has forced companies to pay for previously polluted hazardous waste sites.
“This is about making Big Oil responsible for its excesses,” Menendez said.
“I don’t trust Big Oil,” added Sen. Frank Lautenberg, a Democrat and another one of the bill’s co-sponsors.
BP chief executive Tony Hayward declined to comment on the bill.
“We won’t be entering into that legislative discussion,” Hayward said at a news conference Tuesday.
Asked whether the company expected to spend money beyond the $75 million limit, Hayward said the cap was largely irrelevant.
“It’s got nothing to do with caps. All legitimate claims … will be honored,” he said.
BP says on its website that it is committed to paying “all necessary and appropriate cleanup costs” as well as “legitimate and objectively verifiable claims for other loss and damage caused by the spill.”
The federal government also maintains an Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund supported by industry fees. It can make a total of $1 billion in payouts per incident to individuals, businesses and governments.
Roughly 2.6 million or more gallons has spilled into the Gulf since the April 20 blast that sunk an oil rig and killed 11 workers.
Obama Stays Active Behind the Curtain (CBS)
When I asked White House press secretary Robert Gibbs about President Obama’s “light schedule” this week, he laughed out loud. I was referring, of course, to the president’s public schedule, and in fact this is one of the lightest weeks he’s had in some time, at least on paper.
But Gibbs’ response couldn’t have said it more clearly — there’s a whole lot of stuff going on behind the curtain.
It’s one of the great frustrations of covering the president – most of the time the White House press corps, which sits a 30 second walk from the Oval Office, has little idea what’s going on in there. But we do know he’s a workaholic – 16 hour days are no big deal for him. And there’s no shortage of issues to help him fill that time…
Poll: Catholics Say Celibacy, Homosexuality Contributed to Sex Abuse (CBS)
More than one in two Catholics see both celibacy and homosexuality as at least minor factors in child sex abuse by some priests, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll.
Less than one in three believe celibacy and homosexuality are “major” factors in the abuse, however — which means that, overall, a majority of Catholics don’t see those two issues as a significant factor leading to abuse.
Thirty-one percent of Catholics called celibacy a major factor leading to sexual abuse, while another 28 percent called it a minor factor. Thirty-five percent said celibacy did not play a part in the abuse.
Thirty percent, meanwhile, said homosexuality played a major role. An additional 23 percent said it played a minor role. Thirty-seven percent said it was not a factor.
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