Lapses in security let accused board plane
WASHINGTON — Why was Faisal Shahzad permitted to board a flight for Dubai some 24 hours after investigators of the Times Square terrorism case learned he might be connected to the attempted bombing?
Though Shahzad was stopped before he could fly away, there were at least two significant lapses in the security response of the government and the airline that allowed him to come close to making his escape, officials of the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other agencies said yesterday.
First, an FBI surveillance team that had found Shahzad in Connecticut lost track of him — it is not clear for how long — before he drove to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, the officials said. As a result, investigators did not know he was planning to fly abroad until a final passenger list was sent to officials at the federal Customs and Border Protection agency minutes before takeoff.
In addition, Emirates Airline failed to act on an electronic message at midday Monday notifying all airlines to check the no-fly list for an important added name, the officials said.
Top Obama administration officials and some members of Congress yesterday praised the government’s handling of the investigation, noting that Shahzad was identified, tracked, and arrested before he could escape.
At a news conference in Washington, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said that despite the break in physical surveillance, he was never concerned Shahzad would get away.
Officials who spoke of the continuing investigation mostly on the condition of anonymity gave a mixed picture.
On Sunday night, about 24 hours after the smoking Nissan Pathfinder was parked on a bustling Manhattan street, investigators identified Shahzad as the purchaser of the car.
But at that point, officials said, they were uncertain of Shahzad’s role and did not feel they had sufficient evidence to arrest him and charge him with a crime. Instead, they began a man hunt, and FBI agents located him in Bridgeport, Conn., and followed him. Then they lost him.
But about 12:30 p.m. Monday, more certain that Shahzad was the suspected terrorist, investigators asked the Department of Homeland Security to put him on the no-fly list, which was done immediately.
Emirates workers evidently did not check the list, because at 6:30 Shahzad called the airline and was permitted to book a flight to Pakistan via Dubai, the officials said. At 7:35 p.m., he arrived at the airport and paid cash for his ticket.
