New York: Investigators of the failed car bombing in Times Square are looking for a money courier they say helped funnel cash from overseas to finance a Pakistani-American's preparations to blow up the crude gasoline-and-propane bomb in the heart of New York, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.
Investigators have the name of the courier they believe helped Faisal Shahzad pay for the used SUV and other materials to rig up a car bomb that would have caused a huge fireball in Times Square if it had gone off, the official told the AP. The official didn't know how much money may have changed hands. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation.
US law enforcement officials traveled to Pakistan -- where Shahzad spent five months before returning to the US in February -- to question four alleged members of an al-Qaida-linked militant group. Officials are trying to establish whether Shahzad had connections to foreign terrorist groups that either funded or helped in the botched bombing that shut down Times Square.
Gen David Petraeus, the general who oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, told The Associated Press that Shahzad was a "lone wolf" who was inspired by militants in Pakistan but didn't have direct contact with them.
Authorities say Shahzad told investigators he went to a terrorist training camp in Pakistan but have yet to confirm that.
Shahzad, 30, who remains in custody on terrorism and weapons charges, lived alone in a Bridgeport, Connecticut, rented an apartment and had no apparent job since February. He is seen on videotape buying boxes of fireworks from a Pennsylvania store, and authorities say he bought a rifle in Connecticut over the past three months with no apparent source of income.