Faisal Shahzad: A Lone Wolf?

By: Evan Schwartz
Topics: Washington Unplugged ,; National Security

The alleged perpetrator of this weekend's failed Times Square car bombing has been caught, but questions about his ties to worldwide terrorism are just beginning. Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistani-born naturalized U.S. citizen, was apprehended by federal agents while trying to board a flight to Dubai at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on Monday night. Reporting from Islamabad, CBS News Reporter Farhan Bokhari spoke with Sharyl Attkisson on "Washington Unplugged" on Wednesday, sharing the latest on the attempted terrorist attack. Bokhari said the Times Square bomber may not be a "lone wolf" terrorist, as Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and others have said.

"This guy had connections, strong connections to Pakistan," said Bokhari, "But he may have had ties to other terrorist groups."

Shahzad admitted to investigators Tuesday that he had received training in Pakistan, leading Bokhari to believe he could have links to larger terrorist cells. Some Pakistani Taliban groups have claimed responsibility for the attack, but Bokhari shot down that notion.

"There is a link between this guy in the U.S. and training in some extremist facilities thousands of miles away," said Bokari. "But the Taliban have no known capacity to strike in foreign counties. That is more the forte of al Qaeda."

Watch the whole interview and the rest of today's Washington Unplugged above. The show also includes a discussion of key political races as the campaign season heats up with CBS News Chief Political Consultant Marc Ambinder and TheLoop21.com's Keli Goff.

"Washington Unplugged," CBSNews.com's exclusive daily politics Webshow, appears live on CBSNews.com each weekday at 12:30 p.m. ET. Click here to check out previous episodes.

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by hughjohnson May 5, 2010 5:41 PM EDT: Lone wolf? I guess that answer is shrouded in a mystery!; Reply to this comment


by tsigili May 5, 2010 5:36 PM EDT: Not really. At the very least, he was involved with extremists in Pakistan.; Reply to this comment


by Harden_Tar May 5, 2010 5:11 PM EDT: The sophistication that was lacking in his bomb design says that either he got ripped off, is not very bright, or good bomb training is getting hard to come by in terrorist land. The boys from al Qaeda usually bring more game.; Reply to this comment