Times Square Car Bomb Suspect Indicted In NYC

Times Square bomb suspect Faisal Shahzad has been formally indicted by a federal grad jury in the May 1 botched car bombing in New York.

Shahzad, 30, was indicted on 10 terrorism-related counts in the Southern District of New York. Among other things, he was charged with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction, transporting an explosive with the intent to kill or harm, and various gun charges. The indictment added five charges to the original case against him.

The indictment says Shahzad conspired with the Pakistani Taliban to wreak death and destruction on Times Square, and that people affiliated with the group trained him in explosives.

"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 a statement. "Our nation averted serious loss of life in this attempted bombing, but it is a reminder that we face an evolving threat that we must continue to fight with every tool available to the government."

Shahzad allegedly parked an SUV packed with a crude homemade explosive in Times Square on May 1. But the bomb never went off, and no one was hurt in the botched attack.

The Pakistan-born U.S. citizen was arrested two days later trying to flee the U.S. on a commercial flight from New York to Dubai.

Shahzad is scheduled to appear in a Manhattan court next week. If convicted, he faces life in prison.

Authorities say he cooperated with investigators for two weeks before he asked for a lawyer.

Shahzad's attorney didn't return a call for comment on Thursday.

NPR's Dina Temple-Raston contributed to this report

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