Chris Cassone rocks “Route 22” for New Yorkers all the way from the Bronx up to where they speak Français:
This Saturday night — June 12 — Chris will rock O’Malley’s (30 E. Main St., Mt. Kisco, NY) with the fabulous Street Kid Band.
Category: New York
NYC Times Square Car Bomb: Latest News on ‘One-Off’ ‘Lone Wolf’ Faisal Shahzad
Jammie Wearing Fool reminds us that liberals made fools of themselves in dismissing the Times Square car-bomb, with Janet Napolitano declaring “You know, at this point I have no information that it’s anything other than a one-off,” and Charles Schumer speculating: “The odds are quite high that this was a lone wolf.”
If the odds against a conspiracy were so high, what about this?
Authorities said a clue in the investigation was a video posted online early Sunday morning by persons in Connecticut, who may have been involved in the bomb attempt. The video, posted on a site registered one day before the attack, has the Taliban in Pakistan claiming responsibility for the attempted bombing.
Ed Morrissey says, “Hmmmm.” And then there’s this:
The number from a disposable cellphone led FBI agents to the suspect arrested Monday night for allegedly driving a car bomb into Times Square on Saturday evening, according to a senior official.
“They were able to basically get one phone number and by running it through a number of databases, figure out who they thought the guy was,” the official said.
Ask yourself, where did this guy get the money to travel back and forth to Pakistan, buy the SUV online, buy three propane tanks, buy a disposable cell phone, buy a ticket to Dubai? Sure, maybe there was no conspiracy, but did you notice three passengers were taken off that Dubai flight?
TIMES SQUARE BOMB SUSPECT ARRESTED;
MAYOR BLOOMBERG HARDEST HIT
PREVIOUSLY:
NYC Bomb Suspect Faisal Shahzad Arrested at JFK; Glenn Beck Still at Large
The arrest was announced overnight:
A U.S. citizen from Pakistan accused of driving a bomb-laden SUV into Times Square and parking it on a street lined with restaurants and Broadway theaters was to appear in court Tuesday to face charges for his failed attempt to set off a massive fireball and kill Americans, federal authorities said.
The suspect, Faisal Shahzad, was taken into custody late Monday by FBI agents and New York Police Department detectives while trying to leave the country, according to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and other officials. He was identified by customs agents at John F. Kennedy International Airport and was stopped before boarding a flight to Dubai, Holder said early Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
Shahzad is a naturalized U.S. citizen and had recently returned from a five-month trip to Pakistan, where he had a wife, according to law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation into the failed car bombing.
More news in a minute, but first to explain the joke in the headline. Monday morning, liberal blogger Susie Madrak at Crooks & Liars wrote:
You know, I don’t want to jump to conclusions here, because that would make me too much like Matt Drudge. But if the car bomber was indeed a white guy in his 40s who didn’t know the difference between ammonium nitrate and plain old fertilizer, I’m thinking it’s gotta be a Beck Patriot who was trying to water the tree of liberty with… the blood of random Times Square tourists. . . .
Ah, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe it’s a Limbaugh listener.
It may be a bit early to rule that out, I suppose, but Madrak is still trying to externalize blame, implying that it was “wingnuts” who were guilty of a rush to judgment.
UPDATE: OK, so the bomb suspect isn’t a right-wing teabagger. What do we know about the guy? Via Hot Air Headlines, here’s NBC News:
Law enforcement officials said Shahzad bought the SUV that was parked in Times Square on Saturday from a Connecticut man three weeks ago and paid cash. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity.
NBC’s Pete Williams earlier reported the man’s name was on an e-mail that was sent to the seller of the car last month. . . .
The Times also reported that Kevin B. Barry, an official with the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators, said the attempted bomber had left many leads for detectives to follow.
“He was trying to cover his tracks, but he left more clues than a guy walking into a bank to rob it without a mask. This guy left everything here but his wallet,” Barry said. . . .
UPDATE II: Chris Renner:
The fact that the truck was parked at the front door of the Viacom building (Viacom owns Comedy Central) should strongly suggest, to anyone with a modicum of sense, that the recent South Park controversy might have had something to do with this.
Note that the category “anyone with a modicum of sense” excludes Susie Madrak. Also via Renner, Dan Riehl has more on Faisal Shahzad’s Internet activity. Dan links Tammy Bruce for this detail:
Shahzad’s flight to Dubai had left the gate and was headed toward the runway when authorities discovered that he was on board and wanted. He was removed from the plane and taken into custody, an official said.
Close call.
UPDATE III: Gateway Pundit was blogging early on the arrest, and Ed Driscoll rounds up the reaction, including Andy Levy’s Tweet to NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg:
“Please find out what Shahzad Faisal has against health care reform. Our city is counting on you!”
And to explain that joke, here’s video via Brent Baker at Newsbusters:
UPDATE IV: Heh. Now the #2 Google result for “JKF plane suspects.” More blogging from Left Coast Rebel, Weasel Zippers, Wizbang, Yid With Lid and RedState.
UPDATE V: A potentially significant detail from the Wall Street Journal:
A person briefed on the case by law enforcement said investigators found forensic evidence—a fingerprint on one of the propane tanks — belonging to a man of Middle Eastern origin in the bomb-laden SUV.
This person said authorities have identified the man, but weren’t releasing that information while they try to locate him.
Does “Middle Eastern origin” encompass Pakistan, or is this a second suspect? Oh, and the bylines on the WSJ report include Devlin Barrett. Ring a bell? As an Associated Press reporter last year, Barrett was responsible for inspiring the misguided “anti-government sentiment” speculation in the Sparkman case — which turned out to be a suicide staged as a fake hate crime.
UPDATE VI: NYC Police Commissioner Ray Kelly:
“We didn’t want the press to do the investigation. You know, you’d all like to get involved in the case and solve it for us. We appreciate that, but this is what law enforcement has to do.”
This is an important point. Reporters understandably want to get as much of the story as soon as possible, but criminal investigation is a job for the police. And the mayor isn’t exactly a CSI forensic expert:
Mayor Bloomberg is that most dangerous variety of idiot — the idiot who believes himself the smartest man in the room.
Not to get too far ahead of the investigation or engage in unwarranted speculation, but if Faisal Shahzad isn’t pissed off about health care, what could possibly be his motive? Perhaps he’s a religious extremist — one of those “Christianists” Andrew Sullivan is constantly warning us about? Or maybe one of those “anti-science creationists” who so alarm Charles Johnson?
Hater.
Hateful Racist Teabagger from Pakistan?
Keith Olbermann will be heartbroken:
Federal authorities are closing in on the man they say is a person of interest in the Times Square car bomb attempt this weekend, who is described as a naturalized American citizen who hails from Pakistan and just returned after spending five months there. . . .
There is growing evidence the bomber did not act alone and had ties to radical elements overseas, with one senior official telling ABC News there are several individuals believed to be connected with the bombing and that at least one of them is a Pakistani-American. . . .
When someone pointed out that the bomb was parked near the New York headquarters of Viacom (i.e., Comedy Central), I figured the perp might be a Muslim trying to avenge the “South Park” Mohammed episode, but I didn’t blog that hunch — or anything else about the Times Square bomb attempt — because I didn’t want to jump to a conclusion in the absence of evidence.
And I still don’t want to jump all the way to a conclusion. Ace of Spades notes that NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg guessed “somebody with a political agenda that doesn’t like the health care bill or something.”
And who knows? Maybe there are lots of Pakistani-Americans upset about the health care bill. “Or something,” as Mayor Bloomberg said.
UPDATE: News is breaking quickly now, and Allahpundit notes this report from CBS News:
The source said forensic evidence uncovered in the vehicle led them to a Middle Eastern man’s name that was familiar to counter terrorism investigators.
So it’s apparently somebody who was already on their list. Will keep an eye on this story, now that the investigation has proceeded past the point where we’re not merely guessing about the perps and their motives. More at Memeorandum.
UPDATE II: A Green Room poster comments on the reluctance of Attorney General Eric Holder and some in the media to label the botched car-bomb an act of terrorism. That reluctance may have been mainly due to the crudeness of the bomb, which was so amateurish as to be an embarrassment to any terrorist organization that claimed credit for it.
UPDATE III: Speaking of embarrassments, the dimwit “Hutaree Militia” suspects have been released on bond and Professor Glenn Reynolds says:
It’s only speculation that [the feds rushed to arrest the suspects] because there was pressure from the Administration to generate some militia-threat headlines precisely at the time that the “militia threat” was the talking-point of the day. But it’s not unreasonable speculation, based on what we know so far . . . .
Like I say, not jumping all the way to a conclusion.
UPDATE IV: Speaking of professors, William Jacobson notices that New York Gov. David Patterson is expressing concern about the rights of criminal immigrants. Excellent timing, governor!
UPDATE V: Associated Press:
The vehicle identification number had been removed from Pathfinder’s dashboard, but it was stamped on the engine, and investigators used it to find the owner on record.
“The discovery of the VIN on the engine block was pivotal in that it led to identifying the registered owner,” Browne said. “It continues to pay dividends.” . . .
(More amateurism — the perp evidently didn’t realize that the VIN is stamped on every engine block.)
The SUV was parked near offices of Viacom Inc., which owns Comedy Central. The network recently aired an episode of the animated show “South Park” that the group Revolution Muslim had complained insulted the Prophet Muhammad by depicting him in a bear costume.
Location, location, location. Here’s an AP video report:
Evan Kohlmann, a terrorism analyst who has served as a consultant for the U.S. government, said the device — as described by police — is extremely crude and bears little likeness to the work of al-Qaeda.
“Calling this thing a bomb may be giving it too much credit,” he said. “This appears more like a glorified Molotov cocktail.
“I don’t think this looks like al-Qaeda,” he said, “but you have to be careful. Even organized terror groups are not always foolproof.”
We might consider the possibility that eight years of a global war on terror has degraded the ability of al-Qaeda to recruit members and organize attacks.
UPDATE VI: Allahpundit:
It’s almost not worth speculating on whether this is jihadis or domestic terrorists at work, since drawing the wrong conclusion either way will leave the left or right screaming at you.
Meh. I don’t care who screams at me, as long as I’m right. The evidence is “mixed,” as Allah says, and it’s too early to jump all the way to a conclusion, but if they’ve traced the car and ID’d the buyer as a Pakistani . . .
Unnecessary and Improper
“The Congress shall have Power . . . To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers . . .”
— U.S. Constitution, Article I, Sec. 8, Clause 18
“In the last week we have gained tremendous momentum in our effort to keep carry-on bags free. We have begun to put the brakes on runaway and out-of-control airline fees.”
— Sen. Charles Schumer, New York
The N.Y.C. Taxi-Driver Jihad
If you can’t crash jetliners into their skyscrapers, at least scam the infidel dogs out of some extra cab fare:
About 3,000 New York City taxi drivers routinely overcharged riders over two years by surreptitiously fixing their meters to charge rates that would normally apply only to trips outside the five boroughs, according to the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission.
The drivers’ scheme, the commission said, involved 1.8 million rides and cost passengers an average of $4 to $5 extra per trip . . . costing New York City riders a total of $8.3 million. . . .
The commission said it began an inquiry after investigators, responding to a rider’s complaint, determined that a cab driver from Brooklyn, Wasim Khalid Cheema, had overcharged 574 passengers in just one month last year. Mr. Cheema’s license has been revoked. He could not be reached for comment. . . .
Probably because Wasim is now somewhere in a cave in Waziristan, teaching taxi-meter terrorism tactics to other al-Qaeda cabbies, who are no doubt dreaming of becoming Jamie Paulin-Ramirez’s next husband.
NY-23: Hoffman Is Back.
Opposition Seized By Dismay.
by Smitty
Having met the gentleman at CPAC, it is a pleasure to point to Robert Stacy McCain’s article on Doug Hoffman over at The Washington Times.
Mr. Hoffman’s Conservative Party campaign last fall became a nationwide crusade after party leaders backed state Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, whose liberal record angered conservatives bloggers, such as Erick Erickson and Michelle Malkin. Republican 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, former House Majority Leader Dick Armey and the Club For Growth were among those who endorsed Mr. Hoffman.
As polls showed a Hoffman surge in the final weeks of the race, Mrs. Scozzafava quit the campaign and shocked Republicans by endorsing Mr. Owens, who won with a 48 percent plurality.
Mr. Hoffman’s supporters immediately began urging him to run again, with House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence praising his “brilliant” campaign.
Mr. Hoffman has reassembled most of his 2009 campaign team, including Mr. McLaughlin’s polling firm and TV advertising specialist Nelson Warfield, and begins with more than $200,000 in campaign cash remaining from last year.
Mr. Hoffman used his Facebook online network to announce his 2010 candidacy to supporters Monday night.
Ed Morrissey also offered analysis at Hot Air, along with a CPAC interview clip:
Circumstances should favor Hoffman this time. In the previous contest, a special election to fill John McHugh’s seat, the state didn’t allow for a primary contest, throwing the nominations to the county chairs of both parties. Democrats chose Bill Owen, while Republicans passed over Hoffman to select DeDe Scozzafava. Hoffman ran as a third-party candidate instead, winning over Tea Party enthusiasts while Scozzafava campaigned poorly and alienated voters in her district. Hoffman came within a couple of percentage points of winning the whole race.
More at the Memorandum River.
This blog predicts that Hoffman’s straightforward honesty will go over in the 112th Congress like a musician at a rap concert. Clearly we need to send more musicians like Doug to DC.
UPDATE (RSM): Speaking being “seized by dismay,” I’d like to know which anonymous worm was responsible for this vicious lie.
Randy Altschuler: ‘Scrap the Current Legislation . . . and Start Listening’
Press release from a New York GOP congressional candidate:
“It’s obvious, the dysfunction in Washington continues. In the end, the healthcare issue will only be solved by common sense, free market solutions, like Tort Reform and the dropping of state barriers on the purchase of Health Insurance. Speaker Pelosi, Senator Reid and President Obama need to understand that the current legislation is Dead On Arrival. Congressman Tim Bishop should call on Speaker Pelosi to scrap the current legislation, stop playing partisan politics and start listening to the American people. The voters of New York’s 1st Congressional District deserve no less.”
Randy Altschuler is the candidate in NY1 (eastern Long Island) whom I interviewed during CPAC. Altschuler is a successful entrepreneur running against Rep. Tim Bishop, a Pelosi clone in the NY1 district that was reliably Republican for years until, in 2002, Bishop won with barely 50% in what was basically a fluke (the GOP incumbent ran a negative ad that backfired). Anti-war and anti-Bush backlash started early in NY1, and Bishop won re-election against weak opponents in 2004, ’06 and ’08.
However, since Obama’s election the pendulum has swung back in the other direction and conservatives in the district are fired up. Check out this huge Tea Party protest when Bishop held a town-hall meeting in June:
NY1 is clearly a winnable seat, and Altschuler is the kind of guy — a self-made businessman, not a politician — who can win in a year when “outsider” candidates are challenging the system. Check him out.