Times Square Bombing Suspect Unlikely to be Lone Wolf

Lisa Curtis /

Time Square bomb threat

Times Square bombing suspect Faisal Shahzad has apparently told investigators that he was not acting on behalf of any international terrorist organization. However, given that he spent several months in Pakistan just prior to returning to the U.S. to conduct the attack indicates he may well have been in contact with international terrorist networks.

Given the increasing fluidity of group membership and cross-pollination of the various terrorist groups operating inside Pakistan, it may take time for investigators to discern exactly with whom he may have been working and what was his primary motivation for carrying out the attempted bombing.  It is becoming increasingly important to identify individual terrorist organizers and masterminds based abroad rather than thinking in terms of group affiliations. (more…)