Nearly a month and a half after attempting to set off a car bomb in Times Square, a federal grand jury in New York has returned a 10-count indictment against Faisal Shahzad.
Shahzad, who left a car bomb at 45th and Broadway in Manhattan on May 1, was taken into custody at JFK Airport two days later after a dramatic manhunt. Details coming from the indictment confirm what law enforcement officials have already hinted at. Shahzad received explosives training in Waziristan from explosive trainers affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban in December 2009. After returning to the United States, Shahzad was given at least $12,000 in cash with which to carry out the attack.
Commenting on the new developments, Attorney General Eric Holder stated:
"The facts alleged in this indictment show that the Pakistani Taliban facilitated Faisal Shahzad's attempted attack on American soil….Our nation averted serious loss of life in this attempted bombing, but it is a reminder that we face an evolving threat that we must continue to fight with every tool available to the government."
Shahzad faces life in prison if convicted of the charged offenses. There is still no word on the progress of the State Department process to designate the Pakistani Taliban—the group that underwrote the attack—as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.