Watertown, Massachusetts:
Federal authorities on Thursday raided several locations in the Northeast and took three people into custody as part of the investigation into the failed Times Square car bombing, which Obama administration officials have said was aided and directed by the Pakistani Taliban, according to statements from prosecutors in New York and the FBI in Boston.
The searches, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation, did not represent a "big break" in the case, but were part of an effort to pursue leads involving the financing of the May 1 attempted bombing, in which a naturalized Pakistani immigrant abandoned a smoldering SUV packed with gasoline, propane, fertilizer and firecrackers in Times Square.
The statements from the office of the United States attorney in Manhattan and the Boston FBI office said the actions "do not relate to any known immediate threat to the public or active plot against the United States" and were undertaken based on evidence that was gathered in the investigation that followed the car bomb attempt on May 1.
"We can confirm that search warrants have been executed in several locations in the Northeast in connection with the investigation into the attempted Times Square bombing," said the statements, released by the office of Warren Bamford, the special agent in charge of the agency's Boston office, and the office of Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in Manhattan.
The statement from Mr Bharara's office said three people who were encountered by the agents as they executed the warrants were taken into custody for immigration violations.
Agents conducted searches in the Boston area, in Watertown and Brookline, and at least one location in the New York area, in Centereach on Long Island. But much remained unclear on Thursday morning about the searches, including how many other warrants were executed, the location of any additional searches and precisely what evidence the federal authorities were seeking. Noting that the warrants were under court seal, Dean Boyd, a spokesman for the Justice Department in Washington, declined to discuss the actions.
Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistani-born United States citizen, has been charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction in the Times Square bomb attempt. The five-count criminal complaint charging him says he admitted driving a Nissan Pathfinder with the crude explosive device into Times Square; it also says he told federal authorities that he was trained to build bombs in Pakistan.
Mr Shahzad, 30, a former financial analyst who attended the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, has yet to appear in federal court, and law enforcement officials have said he is cooperating. Mr Shahzad has told investigators that he acted alone in putting the explosive components into his SUV and driving it to Times Square.
By midmorning Thursday, prosecutors and members of the Joint Terrorist Task Force, which is conducting the investigation, did not expect to charge anyone else with terrorism, according the official briefed on the investigation.
"We're gathering information and following leads in terms of people who may have provided money to Shahzad, or knowingly or unknowingly helped him," said the official, who would speak about the investigation only on condition of anonymity.
The house that was searched in Watertown was cater-cornered from the local middle school, and next door to a senior citizen's housing development on a tree-lined street of mostly two-family homes. The white vinyl siding on the small, oblong structure was caked in dirt and streaked with rust stains, and the shingles on the roof appeared tattered and in generally poor repair.
Attorney General Eric H Holder Jr has said the Pakistani Taliban helped bring about the bombing attempt; investigators are said to be pursuing leads based on the information provided by Mr Shahzad.
On Thursday morning, Mr Holder, in testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, cited the searches and underscored that there was no immediate threat.
"We are currently working with the authorities in Pakistan on this investigation, and we will use every resource available to make sure that anyone found responsible, whether they be in the United States or overseas, is held accountable," he said.
The statement from the Boston FBI office said the bureau could provide no further details, citing the ongoing investigation. The New York FBI office also declined to comment.
Al Baker, Kitty Bennett and Kareem Fahim contributed reporting from New York, and Katie Zezima from Watertown, Massachusetts
The searches, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation, did not represent a "big break" in the case, but were part of an effort to pursue leads involving the financing of the May 1 attempted bombing, in which a naturalized Pakistani immigrant abandoned a smoldering SUV packed with gasoline, propane, fertilizer and firecrackers in Times Square.
The statements from the office of the United States attorney in Manhattan and the Boston FBI office said the actions "do not relate to any known immediate threat to the public or active plot against the United States" and were undertaken based on evidence that was gathered in the investigation that followed the car bomb attempt on May 1.
"We can confirm that search warrants have been executed in several locations in the Northeast in connection with the investigation into the attempted Times Square bombing," said the statements, released by the office of Warren Bamford, the special agent in charge of the agency's Boston office, and the office of Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in Manhattan.
The statement from Mr Bharara's office said three people who were encountered by the agents as they executed the warrants were taken into custody for immigration violations.
Agents conducted searches in the Boston area, in Watertown and Brookline, and at least one location in the New York area, in Centereach on Long Island. But much remained unclear on Thursday morning about the searches, including how many other warrants were executed, the location of any additional searches and precisely what evidence the federal authorities were seeking. Noting that the warrants were under court seal, Dean Boyd, a spokesman for the Justice Department in Washington, declined to discuss the actions.
Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistani-born United States citizen, has been charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction in the Times Square bomb attempt. The five-count criminal complaint charging him says he admitted driving a Nissan Pathfinder with the crude explosive device into Times Square; it also says he told federal authorities that he was trained to build bombs in Pakistan.
Mr Shahzad, 30, a former financial analyst who attended the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, has yet to appear in federal court, and law enforcement officials have said he is cooperating. Mr Shahzad has told investigators that he acted alone in putting the explosive components into his SUV and driving it to Times Square.
By midmorning Thursday, prosecutors and members of the Joint Terrorist Task Force, which is conducting the investigation, did not expect to charge anyone else with terrorism, according the official briefed on the investigation.
"We're gathering information and following leads in terms of people who may have provided money to Shahzad, or knowingly or unknowingly helped him," said the official, who would speak about the investigation only on condition of anonymity.
The house that was searched in Watertown was cater-cornered from the local middle school, and next door to a senior citizen's housing development on a tree-lined street of mostly two-family homes. The white vinyl siding on the small, oblong structure was caked in dirt and streaked with rust stains, and the shingles on the roof appeared tattered and in generally poor repair.
Attorney General Eric H Holder Jr has said the Pakistani Taliban helped bring about the bombing attempt; investigators are said to be pursuing leads based on the information provided by Mr Shahzad.
On Thursday morning, Mr Holder, in testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, cited the searches and underscored that there was no immediate threat.
"We are currently working with the authorities in Pakistan on this investigation, and we will use every resource available to make sure that anyone found responsible, whether they be in the United States or overseas, is held accountable," he said.
The statement from the Boston FBI office said the bureau could provide no further details, citing the ongoing investigation. The New York FBI office also declined to comment.
Al Baker, Kitty Bennett and Kareem Fahim contributed reporting from New York, and Katie Zezima from Watertown, Massachusetts
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