Faisal Shahzad, Times Square Car Bomb Suspect, Pleads Guilty: Excerpts From The Hearing

The Associated Press   06/21/10 09:14 PM ET   AP

Faisal Shahzad

Excerpts of statements made by Times Square bombing suspect Faisal Shahzad, according to a court transcript.

"I want to plead guilty and I'm going to plead guilty a hundred times over because until the hour the U.S. pulls it forces from Iraq and Afghanistan and stops the drone strikes in Somalia and Yemen and in Pakistan and stops the occupation of Muslim lands and stops killing the Muslims and stops reporting the Muslims to its government, we will be attacking U.S., and I plead guilty to that."

___

"And when I came back on February 2nd, I started – started planning on the plan. So I started looking for a place first to rent and slowly got together what I think could make a bomb. During that time – it took me from February up to end of April to do all that, find a place. I also required some more cash and I requested that from the Taliban, and they sent it to me, twice, once in March and the other time in end of April. So I got the cash, I worked on it, I made the bomb in a car, and I drove it to Times Square, New York, on May 1st."

___

"The bomb was – it was in three sections that I made the bomb. The major was the fertilizer bomb. That was in the trunk. It was in a cabinet, a gun cabinet. The second was – if that plan of the actual, that didn't work, then the second would be the cylinder, the gas cylinders I had. And the third I had was a petrol, a gas to make fire in the car. But seems like none of those went off, and I don't know the reason why they didn't go off."

___

"I would point out one thing in connection to the attack, that one has to understand where I'm coming from, because this is – I consider myself a mujahid, a Muslim soldier. The U.S. and the NATO forces, along with 40, 50 countries has attacked the Muslim lands."

___

"The drone hits in Afghanistan and Iraq, they don't see children, they don't see anybody. They kill women, children, they kill everybody. It's a war, and in war, they kill people. They're killing all Muslims."

___

"I am part of the answer to the U.S. terrorizing the Muslim nations and the Muslim people, and on behalf of that, I'm avenging the attacks, because only – like living in U.S., the Americans only care about their people, but they don't care about the people elsewhere in the world when they die. Similarly, in Gaza Strip, somebody has to go and live with the family whose house is bulldozed by the Israeli bulldozer."

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Excerpts of statements made by Times Square bombing suspect Faisal Shahzad, according to a court transcript. "I want to plead guilty and I'm going to plead guilty a hundred times over because until t...
Excerpts of statements made by Times Square bombing suspect Faisal Shahzad, according to a court transcript. "I want to plead guilty and I'm going to plead guilty a hundred times over because until t...
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Radarman
11:11 AM on 06/22/2010
Will the court allow his plea to stand?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
FerrellGummitt
http://ferrellgummit.wordpress.com
11:10 AM on 06/22/2010
What's wrong guys? Still disappointed he wasn't a Tea-Partier?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
snykerdoodle
10:43 AM on 06/22/2010
While I don't condone it, (based on the languagae above) I understand completely where he is coming from; American politricks has caused too many civilian casualties to increase without reason.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ddanimal
08:34 AM on 06/22/2010
Sadly, this guy is correct about Israel and the brutal treatment of Palestinians.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
editor
My Two "Sense"
08:25 AM on 06/22/2010
If the U.S. would specifically target criminals overseas; rather than lazily bombing entire villages; you would not create these people; who "freak out" within the prism of their religion and culture after seeing all the carnage. Specifically target criminals; don't bomb entire countries....
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st0ked
Insteada them, him
07:34 AM on 06/22/2010
The fellow was happy as a clam until he lost his job making easy, nice money, and his wife started becoming more like an American citizen of the United States. So, as long as things were good, we were okay, then when things got rough, as they have for most of us over the last few years, suddenly he has an epiphany ? Oh. I see. He had a nice life, but when the easy money stopped he sought outlets not productive to keeping that life. He didn't seek to rescue himself. He gave in and used religion as an excuse to avoid working 2 or three lower paying jobs to keep his life. Too bad . My father and mother didn't seek a way out. They met the challenge with dad working all the time he wasn't asleep , to provide for the family. He met his responsibilities , in other words .

That does not excuse our actions in the Middle East. Not at all. We are there to increase the wealth of a few, at the cost of the many. What a world . :0(
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Tristan Mayfield
07:25 AM on 06/22/2010
If another country had invaded and occupied America for nine years resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians I would be pretty pissed. I'm not defending terrorism but the arrogance of this country are astounding. You can't invade a country blow up their civilians and not expect them to be angry.
07:34 AM on 06/22/2010
You seem to have forgotten we did not attack Afganistan or Iraq until after 9/11.
07:58 AM on 06/22/2010
You seem to have forgotten that the US and other Western countries have started meddling into the MidEast politics decades before 9/11 for their own selfish reasons. Things don't just happen all of a sudden. Ever heard of a principle of "cause and effect"? Supporting tyrants and whoever is on 'our side' (i.e. willing to protect our business and geopolitical interests) was the rule, not the exeption. And the people of the Middle East were just the collateral damage - nothing more. In that I completely agree with the guy.
08:11 AM on 06/22/2010
We use sledgehammers to go after mosquitoes. 9/11 was perpetrated by a handful of people under the shelter of a friendly government. Our response has been wildly excessive.
09:18 AM on 06/22/2010
Were the Saudi's that flew planes into the World Trade Center pissed because we invaded their country? Oh yeah, we did not invade their country!
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Tristan Mayfield
07:22 AM on 06/22/2010
Why ARE we in any of those countries anyway?! Hasn't the President already said that we won't find Osama alive? You don't defeat terrorism with an army. Terrorist can be anywhere and attack anytime. The war certainly did not keep this maniac out.
07:46 AM on 06/22/2010
Once we realize the war is with the greater Islamic Ummah then suddenly we are in a target-rich environment. The Ummah has no trouble seeing us- our old people, children and women as front-line soldiers. One day the gloves will come off and it will be horrible beyond description. The Ummah must get control of it's self.
06:45 AM on 06/22/2010
Winston Churchill spotted a problem with such people, but the insight has no doubt been around for more than 1,000 years:

“How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property - either as a child, a wife, or a concubine - must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.

Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities. Thousands become the brave and loyal soldiers of the Queen: all know how to die. But the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytising faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science - the science against which it had vainly struggled - the civilisation of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient
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Norge
Rolf K. Artist, worker of metal, writer of poems
05:08 AM on 06/22/2010
No, drones do not win hearts and minds though do burn into the memories for decades to come childrens' inerds strewn across the bloody roadway, mothers' bodies burned beyond recognition and grandfathers' arms and legs and head lying in seperate places in the ditches.

No, drones do not win hearts and minds.
05:12 AM on 06/22/2010
You make drones sound like suicide bombers!
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Norge
Rolf K. Artist, worker of metal, writer of poems
06:08 AM on 06/22/2010
BishopKingPawn,

Well, there is a sort of so called Life Form connected to that flying bomb if one wants to call it such. Though to call a guidance system a Life Form does seem a bit strange when the guidance system is organic or supposedly and the organism is sitting some hundreds of miles away where in the stone age the guidance systems were electronic.
Though the "Life Form" is clearly not one of the "Thinking Life Forms" but just one of the "Functional Life Forms" programed for murder.

Norge
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Arrech
NY, NY
06:10 AM on 06/22/2010
Homicidal devices
07:49 AM on 06/22/2010
..and airliners crashed into buildings full of innocent men, women and children don't win hearts and minds, either. It cuts both ways.
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Norge
Rolf K. Artist, worker of metal, writer of poems
08:24 AM on 06/22/2010
Robster,

Yes such does not win the hearts and minds of Americans though just where did the "Blow Back" start and in which country? Stimulus Responses are basics even in our stone age times.

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com

Norge
05:07 AM on 06/22/2010
- If he had a drone plane he would have use it to kill.
- And if Americans did not have any weapon except an atomic bomb and they felt at risk the will use it.
05:37 AM on 06/22/2010
so would the rest of the countries with nuclear thats why its called the best deterrent
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
leftheaded
Cognitive scientist, researcher, professor
06:56 AM on 06/22/2010
Terrorism is the atomic bomb of poor people.
-- Pablo Ecobar
10:00 AM on 06/22/2010
Pablo Escobar u meant ? well we all know where his inspiration came from...sniff sniff
04:25 AM on 06/22/2010
He is absolutely 100% correct, if i were a muslim and saw my brothers and sisters slaughtered on a daily basis by american bombs, i would do everything i could to avenge that.
America refuses to look at how IT has contributed to its own danger by instituting policies that hurt others.
05:10 AM on 06/22/2010
I'm not sure America has refused to look at how its actions have endangered it; rather, I think America just plows along doing what it always does: mixing altruistic and self-centered actions together.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Arrech
NY, NY
06:11 AM on 06/22/2010
In other words, hipocrisy
08:15 AM on 06/22/2010
Manifest Destiny. Look at what happened to Native Americans. It's part of white European heritage.
05:13 AM on 06/22/2010
Why don't u look at the whole of humanity as brothers & sisters ?? Is it yr/my fault that we were born without a rihht to choose our faith in God or no faith at all ??? This isn't a problem only in the US....look to the whole world and see which faith cries foul first....stop this "muslim blah blah blah" and treat humans for what they are human beings....and u call yrself Liberalgod ? wolf in sheeps clothing comes to mind
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BillonMaui
My name is August West.
04:23 AM on 06/22/2010
Everyone is crying out for peace yes
None is crying out for justice
(2x)

(CHORUS)
I don't want no peace
I need equal rights and justice (3x)
Got to get it
Equal rights and justice

Peter Tosh
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
leftheaded
Cognitive scientist, researcher, professor
07:01 AM on 06/22/2010
You missed the most relevant line in that song....
"tell me, who are to criminals?"

I love his music, but I wish tosh wasn't such a nutcase.
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03:19 AM on 06/22/2010
I think I know why it didn't go off… maybe it was never supposed to.
maybe the “plan†was not to shed blood but to expose.

it is an act of terrorism all the same but let’s not forget, he didn't kill anyone.

all the financial support and months of planning he uses the wrong fertilizer?

three completely separate bomb types and not one goes off?

he leaves the country through a security tight airport and on to a jetliner?

what if the “plan†all along was to place himself on the world stage to let the world know a much less publicized side of the atrocities that are being committed.

every day there is “legal†terror filling the hearts of people like you and me that live too far away from center stage to be heard. as we read about this someone is losing a limb, a loved one, their life. on both sides of this vile conflict. it’s sickening. almost as sickening as being conditioned to think that it’s ok.

this guy is going to be tortured and beaten for his 15 minutes of messaging. he knew that going in. he is not a hero but he is no foolish coward either.

I am glad he failed. I believe that this man should be punished for striking fear into everyone. what a price he is going to pay to remind the world that there is more than one side of any story.

please don't comment. just think.
05:17 AM on 06/22/2010
If the guy were concerned with PR for his cause, why plead guilty and disappear from the scene? Why not drag out a trial, issue manifestos, have your lawyer hold press conferences, etc., etc.?
05:24 AM on 06/22/2010
because the guy was caught red handed....everything led to this fellow....Its tuff bein a lawyer for this guy....but yes the US tax payers will end up payin millions for his incarcerations n stuff..
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07:03 PM on 06/22/2010
who knows.
maybe he has seen the long drawn out trial process that allows more and more media coverage to dilute what is going on by "creating" the news.
besides what kind of trust would you put into a court appointed lawyer facing these kind of charges at a time in when america would hang you for just being a muslim.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
trucap
03:09 AM on 06/22/2010
atheism is the most peaceful of all religions , no preachers no imams no rabbis no huge buildings no bla bla bla in saturdays , sundays or fridays and most of all no lies .
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rambot02
A modest proposal...
07:29 AM on 06/22/2010
The only down side: no holidays. While an industrial-strength skeptic, tabby cat does like Christmas in a ho-ho-ho sort of way. It's so much fun to topple the tree and watch the humans go nuts.

=^..^=