A US man of Pakistani descent has been arrested while trying to flee the country in connection with the attempted car bombing in New York’s Times Square.
Faisal Shahzad, 30, was held while trying to board a plane for Dubai at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York, authorities said.
Attorney General Eric Holder said: “This investigation is ongoing, as are our attempts to gather useful intelligence, and we continue to pursue a number of leads.
“But it’s clear that the intent behind this terrorist act was to kill Americans.”
The New York Times said Shahzad originates from the US state of Connecticut and has recently returned to the country after spending five months in Pakistan.
He is thought to be the man who recently bought the 1993 Nissan Pathfinder which was found rigged to explode in Manhattan’s entertainment district.
The vehicle was purchased for $1,300 (£850) in a shopping centre in Connecticut three weeks ago.
The last registered owner of the vehicle, who sold it, described the internet buyer as a “Latino or Arabic-looking man in his 20s or 30s”, ABC News reported.
The arrest comes after the FBI’s terrorism task force and NYPD launched a massive manhunt to try to catch the would-be bomber.
It strengthens the early belief the attempted explosion has connections to overseas terrorism.
A Pakistani-based Taliban group claimed credit for the attack in an internet video on Sunday, but Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has since said police had no evidence to support the claim.
Meanwhile, investigators are continuing to try to identify a white man in his 40s who was seen on video near the car at the time of Saturday’s incident.
