NYT Image
Oh, bloody hell.
Over the weekend, an attempted bomb attempt in New York City‘s Times Square set off an intense U.S. investigation and garnered subsequent media attention. According to the most recent news update, an arrest was made at New York’s JFK International airport Monday night/early Tuesday morning, with media outlets reporting that police detained a Connecticut man who was “a naturalized United States citizen from Pakistan,” (his flight was from New York to Dubai).
The man, identified by news agencies as Faisal Shahzad, “was believed to have recently bought the 1993 Nissan Pathfinder that was found loaded with gasoline, propane, fireworks and fertilizer in the heart of Times Square,” reported the NY Times.
The fact that the bomb failed to go off may provide some interesting clues into the increasing intrigue surrounding this story. CNN, which was one of the last outlets to identify the suspect, spoke with Tom Fuentes, the FBI’s former Assistant Director, who called the botched attempt “not very sophisticated.” According to bomb experts, noted Fuentes, propane tanks (found in the Nissan) “are designed to be very difficult to blow up” so consumers “don’t hurt themselves when they’re barbecuing outside.” A potential bomber would have to “know what he was doing” in order to cause an explosion.
In an article for the AfPak Channel, Alec Barker wrote,
Producing a complete detonation has been the most important hurdle for a number of failed terrorist bombers, including Christmas Day bomber Omar Farouk Abdulmutallab, shoe bomber Richard Reid, the bombers of the June 30, 2007 Glasgow Airport attacks, and the bombers of the July 21, 2005 attacks against the London public transit system. While all of these attackers in some way initiated their bombs, none of them caused the explosions — or the accompanying devastation and loss of life — that they intended.
Barker, a national security analyst, also noted that while this attack may have been inspired by “jihadist zeal,” the amateurish nature of the attempt casts doubt on supposed international connections – particularly to larger Pakistani militant groups.
That of course won’t stop experts, analysts, and guys named Bob from speculating on the lone wolf versus Taliban militant network debate, especially given the videos the Tehreek-e-Taliban released Monday. In what news agencies called “the most substantial” of the released TTP messages, Hakimullah Mehsud, (previously presumed to be dead), promised, “(God willing), very soon in some days or a month’s time, the Muslim (community) will see the fruits of most successful attacks of our fedayeen in USA.” The video was reportedly made last month, though TTP’s chief spokesman Azam Tariq told reporters later, “We don’t know about this video. As far as I know none of our people have posted it. We have no information about it.”
While Pakistan will at first seek to downplay Shahzad’s Pakistan connection (though he just returned after spending five months in Peshawar, Pakistani officials initially emphasized that he is an “American citizen,” according to CNN correspondent Reza Sayah), Western news outlets are already doing the opposite. For example, although CNN noted that Shahzad is “Pakistani-American” a reporter emphasized, “he has only been a U.S. citizen since April 2009.”
[Translation: So, really - he's only a teeny bit American. He's way more Pakistani.]
As the speculation continues, one point of contention I have watching Western news coverage is the framing of the story as details are unveiled. In this era of 24 hour news coverage, a stream of consciousness on media channels is pretty apparent – essentially meaning that news consumers are discovering details almost as fast as news producers. While this is arguably a good thing, speculation can also be the devil’s playground, particularly at a time of polarizing perceptions and tensions. If, for example, Fox News‘ main headline soon after midnight [while details were still being revealed] was this, what would you think?
Screenshot of Fox News website, around 12:45 AM EST.
There will be reams of analysis by the media on the Pakistani link. I will desist from adding a drop to the ocean of white noise that the American media will create around that.
At 30,000 ft and even higher, this incident is symptomatic of the fact that the “war on terror” will never be able to address the issue of terror strikes.
An interventionist and military driven foreign policy of the American Government needs to be brought to an immediate halt. As long as American troops are located in places where they are aggressors and are unwelcome guests we will be naive to believe that terrorism can be defeated. After all , how can you defeat terrorism if it is the weapon of choice for both sides?
As you point out, this event will polarize even further. America, I am sure will use it an excuse to send in a few more drones. Friedman and co may use it as an argument to blow up a few more countries.
The real impact, sadly, will probably take the form American retribution somewhere along the Af-Pak border and civilians will end up paying with their lives.
Please read this only as a view-point. Could that be that because of continuous vigil of Homeland Security terror groups like AQ, TTP are not able to carry out big sophisticated attacks like 9/11 or London or Madrid Bombings and therefore are using indigenous methods like these? Seems like a strategy to me…train people who can make bombs with resources available with them and then make as big a blast as possible and create chaos…seems like a strategy to me. And these relatively small explosions would create a big damage if they are executed in places like crowded streets of Times Square or Plane or Metro or any such place. I think nobody should anything lightly…and by the way mostly media is a gone case…no point discussing them
Oh there goes it- feeding right into racial profiling. I’m sorry but this was my first honest reaction to finding out about the suspect.
My first reaction: “Damn it. As if being a Pakistani at U.S. immigration wasn’t hard enough.”
[...] Tuesday morning, with media outlets reporting that police detained […] Read more at: CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan bloody hell, bomb experts, christmas day, cnn, connecticut man, day bomber, detonation, early [...]
Whenever there is news of an attempted terror attack my first wish is that the suspect isn’t Muslim. My second wish is always that the suspect isn’t Pakistani.
Bloody hell, indeed, Kalsoom.
Also, not to be cynical or anything, but this is a dream come true for right-wing commentators in the United States. Anything, anything, to take the attention away from the unfolding catastrophe in the Gulf coast and the negatives of offshore drilling. They will jump on this story with EVEN MORE zeal than normal so expect to hear about nothing else for the next couple of weeks
Really good point Malik – I completely agree. If the current Fox News headline on the Gulf Oil Spill is any indication, it currently reads “Oil Spill in Hands of Mother Nature.”
“So, really – he’s only a teeny bit American. He’s way more Pakistani.”
Actually, my first thought was he probably had close ties to people in Pakistan.
Combine that with reports of Al-Qaeda’s Pakistan franchise claiming responsibility. Fox News was probably putting up headlines based on tips that were incomplete information. They ought not to do that but our media model rewards being first not being right.
Mostly the view here seems to be that the guy was inept and likely not connected to any large group. The Right Wing is probably happy they get to beat Obama with this club as being soft on terrorism. Never mind the oil slick.
As the speculation continues, so does the hunt for Faisal Shahzad’s Facebook profile: http://gawker.com/5530357/police-arrest-man-in-connection-with-failed-times-square-bombing-updated?skyline=true&s=i
Fox news is run by a bunch of right-winged, conservative, Pakistan-hating media maniacs! With the likes of Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck and Mr. Media himself, Rupert Murdock, I’m never surprised when Fox jumps at the opportunity to lambast Pakistan at the slightest ruffle of a feather!
As for how deep the roots run with this NYC bomb plot…looks like the Tehreek-e-Taliban HR department is not doing a good job at hiring and recruiting – which, of course, is a great thing! I hope TTP follows the lead of certain Wall Street firms and goes under (all the way to hell), taking down all its employees!
During this morning’s commute I heard on NPR (National Public Radio, US radio station) from the head of NYPD that the “homegrown terrorist are usually not too smart”. I 100% agree with him and believe if you are willing to follow orders blindly (even in the army) then your capacity to use your brain is limited. Although this guy was a FOB (not homegrown) by any standards (sorry PO’ed), I can’t believe the dumbest members of a community of usually smart people (bankers, doctors, engineers etc…) are drawing what the world thinks of us. Maybe the US should perform an IQ checks before giving naturalizations…
Exactly. I thought the naturalization process was so tough – seems like this guy slipped past pretty easily, considering he was naturalized only last year.
Let’s not get side tracked by the inevitable stance that a channel like Fox news will take. This is a really important opportunity for all rational Pakistanis to work and to be seen to be working with the Americans against these terrorist nutters. Pakistanis and Pakistani Americans could turn this thankfully failed attempt to their advantage in the US if we are not too emotional about it. Remember Pakistanis are the biggest victims of these nutters and we are and should be sympathizing with US, Afghan and Indian victims and focussing on finding ways to expose and dent the whole terrorist infrastructure. This is a global fight in which Pakistani citizens can play a vital role. Better that than just sitting back and feeling that we are the target of right wing Americans (which of course we are currently).
I would not be surprised if immigration from Pakistan is stopped completely.
US will do everything it can to prevent Pakistanis from landing on its soil. Atleast in a covert way..
Great point about the least educated members of the community being targeted as recruits. It always comes down to education. Which is why a strong public education system needs to be established in Pakistan- away from any religious schooling (mosques, madrasas). I say we all go to Times Square and hand out cookies and see if we can get headlines like “Overly friendly Pakistanis hand out cookies in Times Square.”
the joys of islamic immigration and green cards like candy through work for a “marketing” firm. but no, let’s not stereotype, and definitely not remind ourselves of bin laden selecting immigrant muslims fluent in western languages for 9/11.
bunch of racists, those americans. how dare they profile young muslim immigrants.
imagine.
Blank: It will be difficult to have an outright ban on immigration from Pakistan. What the US can and will do is to do away with the green card lottery (if that is still in place for Pakistan), start issuing fewer and fewer US visas in Pakistan, start delaying the security clearances for H-1, Employment based, family reunification, LPR, Naturalization, including, lateral visa transfers between different categories.
@Pagal_Aadmi,
Exactly. There will not be an outright ban but US will do everything it can to stop immigration from Pakistan. Even tourism will be discouraged.
I’ll give you an example. I know a guy who wanted to MS in US. He was fucking brilliant. He had the best grades from the best colleges and schools in Bangalore. When he applied for a visa they said they couldn’t find details about his father during verification and denied the visa. His own classmates who applied with him got the visa.
There are umpteen ways to deny entry into a country. If a guy who comes from a land which is as democratic and free as India can be denied visa on such flimsy grounds then think about the Pakistanis.
I suspect after the shootout episode by that Nidal guy I think this is happening with the Arabs.
i cant understand what that chootya, shahzad was thinking to accomplish by doing such a thing?? when i looked at his face on FOX and CNN, it was obvious that he was mentally fucked individual supporting a wahabi style mustache and beard. I am just so sick of this, and it takes just one sick person such as this shahzad guy for others to cast aspersions on the whole pakistani community in america, especially the pakistani community in the new york area. i live in florida so it is not such a strong impact but i know some friends who live up in ny-nj area. Today i had class and didnt feel like going, it felt like 9/11 all over again psychologically. i just wonder if god-forbid the bomb went off and there were serious casualities, what would happen to pakistani community in america in general and in new york area in particular. I didnt go to class, and in fact just got a half a dozen emails from my american class mates just to see if i was OK. I know most of my american friends and colleagues are really nice humans and really went out of their way to make sure i was OK. However, it doesnt take much for the odd redneck to get whipped up and go on a mad rampage. Not a lot of rednecks here in gainesville but still you always have to look over your shoulder.This chootya shahzad has now given a pretext to these right wing christian conservatives especially on FOX news to spout their anti-pakistani, anti muslim, anti-immigrant venom and will probably force the administration to carry out even more drone attacks killing some militants no doubt but also killing lots of innocent people. and about civil liberties of pakistani americans and american muslims,,,, i wont even dare think about that.
BTW, i wonder what happened to mainstream pakistani american organisations such as APPNA or ISNA.
thanks a lot chootya wahabi bandar shahzad for making american muslim lives in general and pakistani american lives in particular even more complicated than they already are . tu nay hum logon ke zindagi main jo thora bahut sakoon bhe rah gya thaa, woh bhi cheen liya. i hope you rot in hell asshole.
Please note that the statement released to media that that the suspected terrorist got training from SOUTH WAZIRISTAN seems totally wrong.
Neither no one is able to enter South Wazirstan nor is able to come out of there upon his own will. How he entered there a few months ago and returned after gettin terrorist training and then reached America as well. its strange rather too strange……
I would not comment on racial profiling, but if one recalls five Americans were arrested in dec 2009 on charges of going for militant training, then we have david headly another Pakistani involved in Mumbai bombing. So somehow the roots of every major/minor terrorist incident trace back to Pakistan. Most terrorists have travelled to Pakistan as it seems like the best place on earth to get a few pointers. We need to eliminate these training center in Pakistan, there is a whole nexus which we have not probed yet.
I may not be Pakistani, but I am married to one and this man has just made my husbands life ten times harder!!
I am in agreement with one poster… People such as this mostly hurt only themselves, their family and most of all the entire society/country/people they are from. It taints the view the average non educated, foxnews following, wannablameitonthemuslimalways person in the US-and quite honestly, can you blame them if this is all they see of Pakistanis? Their ability to look beyond foxnews or cnn and broaden their horizon-learn a thing a two about the real world- is all but impossible…so people such as this idiot hurt mostly his own people.
My husband had three people at his work make a smart comment about “his cousin being arrested” …now he is NOT related to this man, does not know him, but it doesn’t matter…he is Pakistani and that is good enough for them. I believe my husband has a hard enough time dealing with people on a normal day to day basis -as far as racial profiling and ignorant unfounded assumptions towards Pakistanis/Muslims -without having more thrown at him because one of his brothers in Islam obviously failed to adhere to one of the basic tenants in Islam-love/want for your Brother that you want for yourself. It seems anyone with a bit of common sense-no matter how deep or extreme their religious views are would stop and THINK that when they carry out such acts 9 times out of 10 they never hurt the Americans-the “enemy”-they only hurt themselves.
I am becoming increasingly angry at this stupidity-this lack of basic human caring and God given SENSE. I may not be able to see things from the position most of you are, but I can most certainly relate in a sense that I stand next to a handsome, highly educated, giving, pious and one of the kindest people anyone will ever meet-and he’s a Pakistani-and he, in my opinion, is representative of most Pakistanis(the country is full of intelligent, loving, giving and pious people) and because of things like this, his life has just become even harder-his fight to prove who he is and his good intentions will now be more difficult.
Whether true or false-the story..the guy…the details-none of it really matters at the end of the day. At the end of the day I am angry because my Brother in Islam just hurt me, my husband, my family. Every single Pakistani American will feel this-they are the ones who will suffer because of what happened….each and every one of you know this and you can get angry because there may be racial profiling, you can get angry because lies may be being said…whatever it is, but you have to accept, at some point, the truth in it all whether you like it or not. Ignorance is everywhere and we can only try to tell people-try to educate them and show them-speak out against this profiling or whatever…but reality is it will never go away.
News or no news, it really doesn’t matter because there has and will always be those people who only know what they see and hear on that tv and you cannot convince them otherwise. I think every single Muslim knows this-and every group of people who have ever been singled out because of race, religion, nationality etc-will always hear the breaking news, see the headline and say “please God don’t let it be……”
i love this comment from Gawker:
“Here’s my gripe: If the dude is a naturalized American citizen, then he has no other nationality. He should not be termed “naturalized American from Pakistan” because that is not factually true. Yes, he has a Pakistani heritage; yes, he has Pakistani parents. But if the accused is naturalized, he is as American as Ronald Reagan who was never once referred to as “naturalized American from the UK” even though his parents were Irish and Scot immigrants.”
all i have to say is *sigh*
Yes. Probably he got his citizenship inorder to carry out this attack.
Citizenship is just a piece of paper but his past is more important than that. Dont you think?
I agree…the sensationalism around this is just amazing too. The cover of the Express this morning showed this guys picture and “Made in Pakistan” underneath. What incitreful message is this sending? It has reached the point that anything goes and everything is acceptable when it comes to commentating on Pakistan, whether or not reasonable/factual evidence exists or not.
Someone texted me that! Here’s the photo for everyone else:
http://www.expressnightout.com/printedition/reader.php?date=2010-05-05
How horrible and polarizing. I took a class in college called, Western media and the Middle East and we mostly analyzed framing and headlines and how that influenced perceptions in the West – looking at headlines is a good reflection of media tilting in a piece. Even if the body of the article is somewhat objective, the headline signifies a bias.
We all know what Fox News is about, so its futile to debate what they run as “news”.
However, the emphasis on Shahzad being Pakistani is not necessarily to demean all Pakistanis or Pakistan as a country. My first reaction when I heard he was a Pakistani-American had nothing to do with what it meant to be a Pakistani — it was more so that I immediately realized this was probably not a lone wolf. Lets be honest here, Pakistan is a breeding ground for so many militant groups that its hard to keep track sometimes. Thats just a FACT.
Therefore, the focus on Shahzad’s “Pakistani-ness” has much wider implications for his ability to get training, his potential links to international terrorist organizatoins, even motives for the attempted bombing, etc.
It doesn’t always have to be about race or ethnicity alone.
I have more thoughts on this issue on my blog:
http://pakaf.wordpress.com/
I agree with you Torkham, the reason why we Non-Pakistanis (and especially Indians, as I am) feel frustrated about the situation in Pakistan is, as no body has any control over it and its becoming sort of blackmail as the infamous saying “Pakistan blackmails while keeping a gun on **Its Own** Head”. Think Mumbai 26/11, why the hell a crap from one country should fall on any other country?? but no Justice can Pakistan as a state could bring in what so ever, nor anybody expect it to come from, but innocent /normal people, office goers from any country pays the price, sadly.
Having gone through most of the comments here, it confirms what I have always felt that Pakistani mindset! That there is this general delusion about Pakistani involvement! That we are holier than thou! That we could never commit those kinds of atrocities! Are we angels or specially chosen people that we cannot commit a crime? Wake up! We have been hijacked by the vociferous, reactionary minority! Those Pakistanis that are moderate or liberal prefer to keep quiet instead confronting these lunatics. Every time one tries to debate this issue in Pakistan, you get the standard reply – “it is not us” “It is America or Israel or India etc. That right – blame everyone else! Never own up to your responsibility! A generation of mad, fanatical people are being groomed in Pakistan but no, it cannot be us! And then the hypocrisy in all of this – if the immigration to the West is opened thosands would be in que to leave the country! When you reach the west, favourite past time – be vociferously anti-west but if asked to go back to the paradiae that Pakistan maybe, cower in the corner and never leave that country! Typical Pakistani mindset! Hypocrites!
Aftab,
You are brave enough to precipitate the thoughts of all non-pakistanies or non-muslims and put over here. I wonderered some one here said whenever there is a bombing, they would first pray that no muslim is part of it and then no pakistani is part of it. Isn’t Islamic Republic of Pakistan part of muslim identity? When you are concerned for global muslim, you are boundary less. This mindset is against nature. If you want to set order in the world, first place to start that with you, in your home, in your village/city and then on to country, world..
No one can deny every country has an image in the eyes of the world and image is not created by the god fathers of the country; but common people like you and me. when we think japan/korea our mental image is electronic super kings, chinese – manufacturing giants, mexicans – janitorial services, indians – software wizkids, bollywood kings, afghanistan – taliban, opium kings.
You tell me what kind of image Pakistanies portraying. If somebody says MADE IN PAKISTAN or ASSEMBLED IN PAKISTAN, you can be offended by it, but you can’t deny it.
I read some where ‘Every man alone is sincere. At the entrance of a second person, hypocrisy begins’. So I guess hypocrisy has always been there in every society. Unlike many other societies we Pakistanis have been dwelling on this topic and discussing ways on how to tackle this menace(terrorism) since most of the Pakistanis agree that terrorism is wrong.
But i wonder what terminology to use for a nation or a society where the majority still cannot differntiate between wrong and right and where the society is befooled into thinking that wrong is right.
We might be hypocrites but we Pakistanis certainly dont fit into the second category.
Nice blog Btw
Mustafain Meghani : you sir, are truly “Made in Pakistan” .
If FOX is reporting him as a Pakistani – Its because he GODDAMN IS ONE. Face your demons, my pakistani brothers – and thank Allah the bomb didn’t go off otherwise Uncle Sam would be have launched a full scale attach by now.
The problem as I see it is that the loudest voices are the most shrill. The regular guy in Pakistan who wants to keep to his own affairs, raise a family, work and worship as he pleases does not make news. Why would he? He’s boring and normal. What we see here is the crazed sword waving, flag burning radical. He’s news. He makes for good footage at 11:00. Unless or until the voices of reasonable Islam drown out the radicals this is going to go on and on.
@just me. One could not have put it better bro. good job. Unless and until the moderate Islam does not speak up and expose it self radicalism will keep growing. Silent majority must stand up!
As Martin Luther King Jr once said (and is apt in this situation)
“We shall have to repent in this generation not so much for the evil deeds of the wicked people but for the appalling silence of the good people “
jay ho…..
Terroristan
The curious case of Faisal Shahzad leads us to the deeper indoctrination of extremism in Muslims. For Pakistan the most perturbing fact is from fasial shahzad, david headly or Omar Shaikh somehow their plots trace back to Pakistan. So there is a conducive environment for terrorists in Pakistan which is why last year five American from Virginia travelled all the way to Pakistan to learn some kick-ass jihadi moves!
Young Professional Pakistani-American Males Extremely Angry with Faisal Shahzad
http://wp.me/pIP1s-4x