A Pakistani who was detained in connection with the failed car bombing in New York’s Times Square had no ties with the main suspect but may have met him, the arrested man’s father said on Saturday.
The attempted bombing on May 1 has revived international fears about Pakistan, a US ally in the campaign against militancy, being a breeding ground for Islamist violence.
Pakistan has detained at least six people suspected of ties with the failed bomb, including one who worked for a catering company servicing embassies, Salman Ashraf, a security official said. His father, Mohammed Ashraf Khan, who co-owns Hanif Rajput Catering Service, said his son had no relations with the Times Square suspect, Faisal Shahzad, and any ties with “such people” would badly affect the business. “He might have met him at a function but he doesn’t have any relations with him,” said Mr Khan. “He hardly finds time for socialising. He has been too busy with his business.” US authorities say Shahzad, a Pakistani-American, has admitted to the failed Times Square bomb attack and has been cooperating with investigators since his arrest on May 3.
American and Pakistani authorities are likely scrambling for clues on whether those detained have ties to militants in Pakistan, who are bent on toppling the state and are violently opposed to the US presence here. The US is convinced Pakistan Taliban militants allied with Al Qaeda and operating out of north-western border regions were behind the attempted New York bombing.