Failed NY Bomb Plot Raises Old and New Security Questions

On the evening of May 1, vendors selling T-shirts in New York City's bustling Times Square reported smoke coming from a parked Nissan Pathfinder. Authorities soon discovered a crude car bomb made of fireworks, propane and gasoline that failed to detonate.

The vehicle's identification number led officials to 30-year-old U.S. citizen Faizal Shahzad. Police tracked down and arrested him on May 3 as he was attempting to flee the country on a flight to the Middle East.

Shahzad has been cooperating with authorities so far and waived his right to a quick court hearing, giving law enforcement officials the opportunity to question him further without interruption.

Possible ties to the Pakistani Taliban

	The suspect owned a home in Connecticut but also had a residence in Pakistan, shown here.

Many more details have since emerged in the case, including Shahzad's possible ties to a fundamentalist Islamic militant group called the Pakistani Taliban.

Shahzad, who owned a home in Connecticut and was married with two children, had recently visited his native Pakistan for an extended period of time. He returned to the U.S. in February, when he allegedly began plotting the Times Square bombing.

Pakistan has long been a complicated partner in the fight against terrorism. Numerous al-Qaida militants and terrorist leaders, including 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden, have been traced to the mountainous region between Afghanistan and Pakistan. That area, known as South Waziristan, is also where Shahzad allegedly spent much of his time while in Pakistan, presumably training to make bombs.

Members of the Pakistani Taliban originally claimed responsibility for the Times Square attack. However, the Taliban's role has not been officially confirmed, and a spokesman for the group told several news organizations that his people were not involved and had no ties to Shahzad.

Incident strains U.S.-Pakistan relations

	South Waziristan is the mountainous region between Pakistan and Afghanistan that is home to several terrorist training camps.

The mountains of Waziristan are difficult to traverse and the people who live there are fiercely independent. The rough terrain hides training camps that the U.S. believes are being used to teach would-be terrorists how to make bombs and spread fear.

The United States has pressured Pakistan's Army to go in and try to regain control, but most military actions have been seen as unwelcome invasions and provoked angry local reaction.

In addition, the U.S. military's unmanned drone aircraft program, which has been effective in many instances and believed to have killed Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mesud last August, has also killed innocent Pakistanis by accident, generating much public anger and resentment.

Thus far, the Pakistani government, currently led by President Asif Ali Zardari, is cooperating with requests from President Obama's administration to investigate the Times Square plot.

U.S. lawmakers react to planned attack

	Because the bombing suspect was able to board a plane despite being on a no-fly list, lawmakers are calling for stricter no-fly laws.

Following the failed bomb plot, many members of Congress called for stricter security measures and new laws to prevent future terrorist acts.

When attempting to make a getaway, Shahzad purchased his plane ticket with cash, prompting several lawmakers to propose increased scrutiny of passengers who pay for plane tickets using cash.

Because Shahzad also was able to board an airplane despite having been placed on a no-fly list, legislators are calling for stricter national no-fly laws.

Should terrorism suspects get the Miranda warning?

	Bombing suspect Faizal Shahad was eventually read his Miranda rights, but only after it was determined that he had acted alone.

Many Republicans, including Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), questioned why Shahzad was read his Miranda rights ("You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can be used against you in a court...") when he was arrested.

U.S. law requires that all suspects be read their rights during an arrest, but some lawmakers do not believe those rights should be read to terrorist suspects.

Shahzad was first questioned by FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force agents and New York Police Department detectives under the public safety exception to the Miranda rule.

The public safety exception allows police to question a criminal suspect immediately for situations in which there is a threat to public safety. The goal is to determine if others are involved, whether they were acting alone, whether other threats continue to exist and whether others are coming to assist the suspect.

After the FBI determined that Shahzad was acting alone, he was read his Miranda rights.