Sources: Suspect trained at Pakistan terror camp

Faisal Shahzad
In this photo from the social networking site Orkut.com, a man who was identified by neighbors in Connecticut as Faisal Shahzad, is shown.
AP Photo/Orkut.com

The suspect in the failed Times Square bombing told authorities he trained at a terrorism camp in Pakistan, officials said Tuesday as they worked to unravel the events leading up to the nearly catastrophic attack.

Faisal Shahzad was arrested late Monday and charged with trying to blow up an SUV in crowded Times Square on Saturday evening. Attorney General Eric Holder said Shahzad was cooperating with authorities and would face terrorism and weapons of mass destruction charges.

Holder said Shahzad had provided valuable information, but the attorney general would not elaborate.

One law enforcement official said Shahzad told the FBI he trained in Pakistan. A second said the training was believed to be in the lawless tribal region of Waziristan, where the Pakistani Taliban operates with near impunity.

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Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive ongoing investigation.

The Pakistani Taliban has taken credit for the bomb plot, but U.S. officials say there's no evidence to back that up.

The report of training raises the possibility the attack was a coordinated international effort, but authorities have not said whether they believe that to be the case.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)