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Times Square car bomb suspect indicted on 10 counts

By the CNN Wire Staff
Two of the charges against Faisal Shahzad would carry a mandatory life sentence if he is convicted.
Two of the charges against Faisal Shahzad would carry a mandatory life sentence if he is convicted.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Pakistani-American indicted in Times Square car bomb attempt
  • Shahzad faces possible mandatory life sentence if convicted
  • Shahzad arrested two days after botched car bombing
  • Charges include attempted use of weapon of mass destruction, international terrorism
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(CNN) -- A federal grand jury in New York on Thursday indicted a suspect in the Times Square bombing attempt on 10 counts, some of which carry a mandatory life sentence.

Faisal Shahzad, 30, faces charges of conspiracy and attempt to use a weapon of mass destruction, conspiracy and attempt to commit international terrorism and other counts, according to a Department of Justice statement.

Six of the charges carry a maximum life sentence if convicted, including two that bring a mandatory life sentence, the Justice Department said.

Shahzad, a Pakistani-American, is accused of attempting to set off the botched vehicle bomb in Times Square on May 1. He was arrested two days later while trying to leave the country on a flight from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Shahzad is expected to be arraigned on Monday, according to the Justice Department statement.

Senior counterterrorism officials said Shahzad also pondered attacks on Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Terminal and the World Financial Center in New York City, as well as Connecticut helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky. He cased some of the targets, the officials said.

Shahzad's arrest heightened concerns about the Pakistani Taliban, which authorities believe directed the Times Square plot. U.S. intelligence officials fear that the Taliban are actively plotting to strike within the United States and are targeting American interests overseas.

"The facts alleged in this indictment show that the Pakistani Taliban facilitated Faisal Shahzad's attempted attack on American soil," Attorney General Eric Holder said in the Justice Department statement.

Shahzad received explosives training and money from people believed to be associated with Tehrik-e-Taliban, a militant extremist group in Pakistan, according to the indictment and a previous criminal complaint.

The documents allege that Shahzad bought a semi-automatic rifle, a Nissan Pathfinder and components to make an explosive device, then drove the vehicle loaded with the bomb to Time Square on May 1.

"After parking the Pathfinder, Shahzad attempted to begin the detonation process of the improvised explosive and incendiary devices," the Justice Department statement said.

After his May 3 arrest as he attempted to fly to Dubai, "Shahzad admitted that he had recently received bomb-making training in Pakistan," the Justice Department statement said.

"He also admitted that he had brought the Pathfinder to Times Square and attempted to detonate it," according to the Justice Department.