AROUND 6-30 p.m. on May 1, the Big Apple came very close to yet another tragedy from terrorist mindlessness. A Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) parked at the busy Times Square, a favourite tourist spot, drew a street vendor's attention because of smoke emanating from the vehicle. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) was alerted in no time. An examination of the abandoned vehicle by an explosives expert showed that it contained fertilizer, some fireworks, propane tanks, a clock and a detonator.
It was obvious that his diabolic plan was to bring about an explosion in the heart of the city and cause a huge loss of lives. It is a different matter that the fertilizer found in the van was certified by experts as not belonging to the class that would help produce a huge explosion. If the miscreant had used a more effective detonator, things could possibly have been slightly different.
Even if the sinister design had been executed to perfection, the impact might not have been as colossal as 9/11. Nevertheless, it became amply clear that New York City continued to be on the terrorist radar and that New Yorkers could not afford to relax their vigil. The incident again showed how much prevention of crime was ultimately a matter of luck; even if an elaborate drill had been conducted to foil a terrorist misadventure.
New York was not so lucky on September 11, 2001, nor was Mumbai on November 26, 2008. The two great cities lost so many precious lives, young and old, and it will take generations for the wound to heal. This is why the whole nation was manifestly pleased when Ajmal Amir Kasab was awarded the death sentence on May 6. Many New Yorkers would have felt the same way on May 3 when the 30-year-old Faisal Shahzad, a naturalised United States citizen born in Pakistan, the owner of the abandoned van at Times Square, was pulled out of an Emirates flight bound for Dubai, even as the aircraft was taxiing for a take-off at John F. Kennedy (JKF) international airport. Faisal was detained for questioning before being slapped with charges of terrorism.
From a law enforcement point of view, there was much to feel satisfied about the Faisal episode. There were also lapses to be defensive about. There was first the smart piece of work in locating Faisal as the owner of the vehicle after the NYPD was alerted by the vendor. The licence plate showed that the vehicle was registered in the State of Connecticut. The person to whom the licence belonged in the registration records told the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that he did not own an SUV of the make recovered at Times Square.
Obviously, his licence plate had been duplicated and fixed to Faisal's vehicle. Then, a smart detective slid under the chassis of the SUV and noted down the 17-digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). This led the FBI to the previous owner, a teenager, who admitted to having sold her vehicle to an unknown person at a supermarket. The latter had, however, left behind his cell number, which the girl promptly passed on to the FBI. In a matter of a few hours the FBI located Faisal's apartment in Bridgeport (Connecticut).
They tracked him near a local store and kept a tab on him they still did not have enough evidence to take him into custody and simultaneously tipped off the Homeland Security Department to put Faisal on the no fly list. No airline should put a person on that list on board any aircraft even if his/her documents are in order. The detectives followed him as he drove out of his apartment parking lot. While he was heading towards JFK airport, the police lost him for few moments. It was later known that around 6-30 p.m. on May 3, he had called Emirates Airline and booked his ticket to Pakistan via Dubai.
On reaching the airport, Faisal paid for his ticket in cash and obtained a boarding pass. Airline staff are normally alerted by a passenger who buys a ticket in cash. It did not happen in Faisal's case. The slip-up was colossal if one considers that Faisal had been put on the no fly list around noon and all airlines were intimated about it. This was followed up at 4-30 p.m. with further information on Faisal, including his passport number.
Still, Emirates allowed him to board the aircraft, from where the FBI pulled him out a little after midnight. It is clear from the events that even the best of security drills is bound to fail if the people behind it are slack and indifferent. This, incidentally, is the case with all assassinations. United States authorities have further tightened the procedure making it mandatory for airlines to check the no fly list within two hours of each fresh communication. Under the previous dispensation it was enough for them to access the list once a day. Any failure that leads to a person on the list managing to go on board entails a fine imposed on the offending airline.
The Faisal incident serves further notice on U.S. authorities that terrorism in the U.S. is becoming nearly home grown, as in the United Kingdom. Faisal was born in Pakistan to a senior Air Force official of the rank of Air Vice-Marshal. He came to the U.S. in 1998 and received a Bachelor's degree in computer application in 2000 from the Bridgeport University. He returned to the same university a few years later and obtained an MBA in 2005. After finding a stable job, he acquired American citizenship last year. By all accounts, he had a happy family life. His wife and two children were with him until about a year ago, when he sent them back to Pakistan. Faisal was known to have travelled there fairly often, as many as eight times in the recent past.
On the last occasion, he spent several months there. This is one factor that raises a possibility that he was already under the FBI scanner, as a person of Pakistani origin spending long spells in his native country even after acquiring American citizenship. This is analogous to the system in the U.K. where MI5 and MI6 find it absolutely necessary to monitor the activities of U.K. citizens frequenting Pakistan. The perpetrators of the London underground bombing had all received training during their travels to native Pakistan. It now transpires that Faisal had been the beneficiary of such training during one or more of his visits.
The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for Faisal's act, although earlier reports had spoken of the involvement of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), another deadly militant organisation. The TTP has known links with Al Qaeda and is reportedly unreconciled to the U.S. drone attacks on Pakistani targets. It would also like to wreak vengeance for the killing of one of its leaders, Baitullah Mehsud, last summer in a drone attack. Interestingly, his successor, Hakimullah Mehsud, whom Pakistan claimed as having been killed, surfaced a few days ago in a video released shortly after the TTP claimed responsibility for the failed explosion at Times Square.
In another video recording not corroborated by many agencies Hakimullah is said to have threatened that many U.S. cities will shortly be attacked. It is not clear whether the threat is real or intended to spread a fear psychosis among U.S. citizens. One thing, however, is certain. If the TTP and other outfits that have access to the U.S. for perpetrating terrorist acts, have volunteers only of Faisal's calibre, there is not much for the authorities to worry about. It is obvious that Faisal was not all that motivated unlike those who were involved in the 9/11 operation. He did not think of a suicide attack. Also, he left behind so much tell-tale evidence that he cannot have been trained rigorously in how to operate in a clandestine manner. The only thing that is certain is that he had a lot of money. He bought an SUV and also had enough cash to buy an international air ticket. In addition, his frequent travels to Pakistan would have needed considerable resources. This is why one is inclined to believe that Faisal had some organisational support. Whether it was the JeM or the Pakistan Taliban is difficult to speculate. Are there more Faisals in the U.S.? This questions should worry the White House and its advisers.
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