Reuters reported Monday, May 10, that Pakistan has come under pressure from the U.S. to send troops into North Waziristan following Faisal Shahzad’s arrest in the failed Times Square bombing. Responsibility for the attempted bombing was claimed by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Taliban Movement of Pakistan, which has fighters in the country’s northwestern areas, including North Waziristan.
The Washington Post reported on Saturday, May 8, that the FBI sent a team to Pakistan last Friday to investigate links to foreign terrorist financing in the attempted Times Square bombing. A former U.S. official briefed on the investigation told the Post that investigators were tracking a money courier who may have helped funnel cash to Shahzad from overseas. Investigators also believe Shahzad may have obtained money to fund the Times Square operation from a hawala, an informal money-transfer network popular in South Asia and the Middle East. Hawalas have been linked to al-Qaida and other terrorist groups.
Investigators landed in Islamabad, where the FBI has a legal attaché office that works with Pakistani law enforcement and intelligence officers, reported the Post, noting that cooperation with Pakistani officials is “considered crucial in nailing down the radical ties” of Faisal Shahzad.
According to dawn.com, owned by Pakistani media company DAWN Media Group, the FBI has sought access to retired Air Vice Marshal Baharul Haq, Shahzad’s father, who is in protective custody. Dawn.com also reported that a friend of Shahzad in Karachi was arrested and has been moved to Islamabad for further questioning by both the FBI and Pakistani intelligence.
“Pakistan would provide every possible support to United States in the investigations pertaining to Faisal Shehzad, accepting this new controversy has damaged Pak-US relations to some extent,” foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said.
Further reading: Reuters article, Washington Post story, dawn.com story on access to Shahzad’s father, dawn.com story on Pakistani cooperation announcement
