Domestic terrorism -- there is no "New South"

Charles Pierce speaks the unspeakable.

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.

New York City

Oklahoma City was the shorthand for the growth of domestic terrorism brewing in the '90s. Did New York City just manage to miss being known as the culmination of inchoate middle class white rage of the 2010s? Foolish to speculate, but reading the comments from the police and Attorney General, I get weird deja vu.

Investigators were reviewing surveillance footage that showed an unidentified man walking away from West 45th Street, where the Nissan Pathfinder had been parked. The police said the man was a “person of interest.” The man was seen in Shubert Alley, which runs between 44th and 45th Streets, looking furtively over his shoulder and removing a dark shirt, revealing a red one underneath, officials said. The man then stuffed the dark shirt into a bag, officials said.

Asked if he considered the failed bombing the work of terrorists, Mr. Kelly said: “A terrorist act doesn’t necessarily have to be conducted by an organization. An individual can do it on their own.”

Suspected terrorists charged in the midwest

Steven Benen asks if Dick Cheney and his ideological playmates will demand these religious extremists/terrorists be held in Guantanamo and waterboarded (since one of the conspirators is missing)?