Not ready for Broadway

Irresponsible speculation, it would appear.

A naturalized United States citizen from Pakistan who lives in Connecticut was pulled off a jet bound for Dubai at Kennedy Airport just before midnight on Monday and arrested for driving a car bomb into Times Square, in what turned out to be an unsuccessful attack, Justice Department officials announced.

The man, Faisal Shahzad, 30, was taken into custody at Kennedy Airport aboard an Emirates flight to Dubai along with three other men, one of whom was believed to be his roommate, according to a law enforcement official. The pair had apparently driven to the airport in a white Isuzu Trooper that was found in a parking lot with a handgun inside, the official said.

The official added that the two other men removed from the plane — which eventually took off hours later — may have been taken into custody simply because they had similar names; they were not suspected of being involved in the Times Square bombing attempt. The role of Mr. Shahzad’s roommate, if any, was unclear.

The official added that the two other men removed from the plane — which eventually took off hours later — may have been taken into custody simply because they had similar names; they were not suspected of being involved in the Times Square bombing attempt. The role of Mr. Shahzad’s roommate, if any, was unclear.

Both the airline and Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., in an early morning statement, confirmed Mr. Shahzad’s arrest for driving a 1993 Nissan Pathfinder found loaded with gasoline, propane, fireworks and fertilizer into the heart of Times Square on Saturday night. Mr. Shahzad is believed to have bought the vehicle from Connecticut woman within the last three weeks for $1,300, a person briefed on the investigation said, and it was that transaction that eventually led to his dramatic arrest on the airport tarmac.

The ineptitude is as stunning as is the possibility that a recently naturalized citizen wanted to kill scores of people in busy Times Square.