Lapses let suspect board plane

First,an FBI surveillance team that had found Shahzad in Connecticut lost track of him before he drove to John F Kennedy International Airport,the officials said. Investigators did not know he was planning to fly abroad until a final passenger list was sent to the federal Customs and Border Protection agency minutes before takeoff.

In addition,the airline he was flying,Emirates,failed to act on an electronic message on Monday notifying all carriers to check the no-fly list for an important added name,the officials said.

Top Obama administration officials and some members of Congress on Tuesday praised the governments handling of the investigation,noting that Shahzad was identified,tracked and arrested before he could escape.

But Mayor Michael R Bloomberg,reluctant to criticise those in charge of airport security,added: Clearly the guy was on the plane and shouldnt have been. We got lucky.

Senator Susan M Collins,Republican of Maine,said she applauded the work of law enforcement officials. Still,she added,A key question for me is why this suspect was allowed to board the plane in the first place.

At a news conference in Washington,Attorney General Eric H Holder Jr said that despite the break in physical surveillance,he had never been concerned that Shahzad would get away. I was here all yesterday and through much of last night,and was aware of the tracking that was going on, Holder said. And I was never in any fear that we were in danger of losing him.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano called the capture of the accused terrorist a great team effort. She added: The law enforcement work in this case was truly exemplary.

On Sunday night,about 24 hours after the smoking Nissan Pathfinder was left on a Manhattan street,investigators identified Shahzad as the buyer of the car. But at that point,they did not think they had enough evidence to arrest him.

At 12.30 pm on Monday,more certain that Shahzad was the suspected terrorist,investigators asked the Department of Homeland Security to put him on the no-fly list. Three minutes later,the department sent airlines an electronic notification that they should check the no-fly list for an update. At 4.30 pm,more information was added to the list,including Shahzads passport number,officials said.

Workers at Emirates evidently did not check the list,because at 6.30 pm,Shahzad called the airline and booked a flight to Pakistan via Dubai,officials said. At 7.35 pm,he arrived at the airport,paid cash for his ticket and was given a boarding pass.

The final passenger manifest was sent to the National Targeting Center,operated in Virginia by Customs and Border Protection. There,at 11 pm,analysts discovered that Shahzad was on the no-fly list and had just boarded a plane. They sounded the alarm,and minutes later,with the jet still at the gate,its door was opened and agents came aboard and took Shahzad into custody,officials said.

Actually I have a message for you to go back to the gate immediately, an air traffic controller told the pilot. After the plane was called back,the authorities removed two more passengers. They were questioned and cleared. The passengers were rescreened and the flight took off about seven hours late. NYT

Hakimullah writes to Aafias sister,vows attack on US: Report

Islamabad: Tehrik-e-Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud has written a letter to the sister of Aafia Siddiqui,a Pakistani scientist convicted for attempted murder by an American court,saying he would carry out a memorable attack against the US. Hakimullah threatened a memorable response against the United States in the letter he wrote to Fouzia Siddiqui nearly two months ago,Dawn News channel reported.

On the basis of this letter,the channel contended that Hakimullah may have had a hand in the botched car bombing in New York City that resulted in the arrest of Faisal Shahzad. In the letter,Hakimullah addressed Fouzia as his own sister and assured her of all possible cooperation. Threatening the US,he announced his intention to teach the country a lesson. PTI

53 hours,20 minutes From a failed plot to an arrest

After recovering the VIN from the Nissan Pathfinder,investigators began a chase that led to the arrest of the suspect 53 hours and 20 minutes after the smoking vehicle was spotted in Times Square.

Saturday

6.28 pm: Security camera captures images of dark-coloured Pathfinder parked on West 45th Street

6.32 pm: Street vendor points out smoke,popping sounds from the SUV

6.40 pm: Firefighters discover propane tanks,gasoline,fertilizer,fireworks and clocks in the vehicle.

11.30 pm: NYPD and FBI track licence plate to Stratford,Connecticut.

Sunday

3.00 am: Investigators wake up vehicle owner,discover plate connected to a different vehicle.

7.30 pm: Detective John Wright slides underneath the SUV,discovers VIN number that leads authorities to a man and his 19-year-old daughter who posted ads to sell a 1993 Pathfinder.

The teenager says she sold the car to a man she met at a supermarket. She gives his cellphone number.

Monday

11 am: From the pre-paid number,investigators find the suspects name. Set of keys left in the Pathfinders ignition turns out to belong to an Isuzu Trooper that suspect Faisal Shahzad left parked at New Yorks Kennedy Airport,and to his apartment in Bridgeport.

3 pm: Investigators spot Shahzad at a store near his home,trail him. Place him on no-fly list. He manages to give them a slip,heads for the airport,calls in a reservation for an Emirates flight to Dubai,pays for ticket in cash.

11.45 pm: NYPD and FBI teams enter jetliner and take him into custody. AP