Times Square Bomb Attempt (May 1, 2010)

The Incident

A video surveillance camera recorded what was believed to be the dark green Nissan Pathfinder driving west on 45th Street at 6:28 pm. Moments later, two street vendors on the sidewalk saw smoke coming out of vents near the back seat of the S.U.V., now parked awkwardly at the curb with its engine running and hazard lights on. They heard the sound of firecrackers going off inside and called out to a mounted police officer, who smelled gunpowder when he approached it and called for assistance. The police began evacuating Times Square, starting with businesses along Seventh Avenue, including a Foot Locker store and a McDonald's.

Police officers from the emergency service unit and firefighters flooded the area. The firefighters, who were responding to a report of a car fire, cleared the area and readied their hoses, but then decided to leave the Pathfinder for the bomb squad. The police also learned that the Pathfinder had the wrong license plates on it.

Members of the bomb squad donned protective gear, broke the vehicle's back windows and sent in a "robotic device" to "observe," said Deputy Commissioner Paul J. Browne, the police department's chief spokesman. Inside, they discovered three propane tanks, two five-gallon cans of gasoline, M88 fireworks — the apparent source of the "pops" — two clocks with batteries and a gun box. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg described the device by saying it "looked amateurish."

Most of the ingredients of the explosive device could have been bought at a home-supply store. The propane canisters were similar to those used for barbecue grills. The firecrackers were a consumer-grade variety sold legally in some states, including Pennsylvania.

The device was found in the back of the S.U.V., Mr. Kelly said, with the gasoline cans closest to the back seat and the gun locker behind them. The fertilizer was in eight clear plastic bags bearing the logo of a store that the police declined to identify. Wires from battery-powered fluorescent clocks ran into the locker, where a metal pressure-cooker pot contained a thicket of wires and more M88s, he said.

Investigators believed that the fuses on the firecrackers had been lighted but the firecrackers did not explode. The burning fuses apparently ignited a portion of the vehicle's interior, causing a small fire that filled the inside with smoke.

The Investigation

The Pathfinder was brought to a forensics center in Jamaica, Queens, where investigators scoured it for DNA evidence and hairs, fibers and fingerprints. F.B.I. agents and detectives from the Joint Terrorist Task Force worked at determining where the propane and gasoline were purchased.

The identity of the Pathfinder's registered owner was discovered through the 17-character vehicle identification number, which had been stripped from the dashboard but was stamped on the engine block and axle. The license plate on the S.U.V. was connected to a different vehicle awaiting repairs in Stratford, Conn., where F.B.I. agents and the local police awoke the owner of the repair shop at 3 a.m. on May 2. 

On May 3, federal agents spoke to Mr. Shahzad's landlord in Bridgeport, according to court papers. Soon after interviewing him, they first "got eyes on" Mr. Shahzad, according to law enforcement officials. He was in another car, one registered in his name, returning to his apartment from the grocery store.

Exactly how long investigators had him under surveillance is unclear. The suspect emerged from his home, got back in his car and headed south. Somewhere along the route, the investigators lost track of Mr. Shahzad, who paid cash for a ticket on a jet headed to Dubai from New York's J.F.K. Airport.

But as the airplane pulled away from the gate, investigators caught up with Mr. Shahzad. The suspect was taken from his seat and arrested.

A phone-record link underscored the combination of investigative skill, increased government integration and sheer luck that helped authorities track down the suspect. Investigators discovered Mr. Shahzad's name because of the telehone number he gave returning to the United States from Pakistan in February, a law enforcement official said on May 5.

That number was entered in a Customs and Border Protection agency database and came up May 3 when investigators checked the record of calls made to or from the prepaid cellular telephone used by the purchaser — at that point unidentified — of the vehicle used in the failed bombing. Once investigators had Mr. Shahzad's identity, they were able to put his name on a no-fly list that ultimately led to his capture.

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