Searches in Times Square probe yield 3 arrests

WATERTOWN, Mass. -- Three Pakistani men suspected of providing money to Times Square car bomb suspect Faisal Shahzad were arrested by the FBI in a series of Thursday morning raids across the Northeast, law enforcement officials said.

The searches in Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey were the product of evidence gathered in the investigation into the Times Square bomb attempt two weeks ago, but there was "no known immediate threat to the public or any active plot against the United States," FBI spokeswoman Gail Marcinkiewicz said.

The three men -- two in the Boston area and one in Maine -- were arrested on suspected immigration violations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Brian Hale said. They were not immediately charged with any crime, including any terrorism-related offenses.

Attorney General Eric Holder said federal investigators believe there is evidence that the men were providing Shahzad, a Pakistan-born U.S. citizen, with funds, but that "one of the things we are going to be trying to determine" is whether the men knew the funds might have been for an act of terrorism.

A top Massachusetts law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said of the two Boston-area men: "These people might be completely innocent and not know what they were providing money for, but it's clear there's a connection."

Authorities are now trying to determine the source of the money, the official said.

Two of the men have overstayed their visas and the third is already in removal proceedings, said another law enforcement official, who was not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Police cordoned off a small house in Watertown, a suburb about 10 miles west of Boston, and a neighbor reported seeing an FBI raid there.

A Mobil gas station in Brookline, another Boston suburb, also was raided. The entrances and exits to the station were cordoned off by yellow tape, and FBI agents were going in and out of the building. Agents also searched a silver Honda Accord in the parking lot and removed items.

The car was registered to Mohammad Zameen, 45, confirmed Ann Dufresne, a spokeswoman of the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles. Zameen also is listed as a resident at the apartment in Watertown. No one answered phone calls at his listed number.

Marcinkiewicz said the arrest in Maine was part of the investigation into the Times Square bomb plot, but said she had no additional details about the arrest.

"They're all connected, but the specifics to Maine I don't specifically know what they were doing," she said.

Homes were searched in Centereach and Shirley, N.Y., both on Long Island, a law enforcement official said Thursday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

Ashim Chakraborty, who owns the home in Centereach, said FBI agents and police officers came to his home Thursday morning seeking to question a couple -- a Pakistani man and an American woman -- who have lived in the basement apartment for the past 18 months.

The woman, who did not identify herself, was still in the basement Thursday afternoon, telling reporters only, "Drop dead, I'm an American."

In New Jersey, the FBI searched a home in Cherry Hill, N.J., and a print shop in Camden, N.J., said FBI spokesman J.J. Klaver in Philadelphia.

Two brothers, Muhammad Fiaez and Iqbal Hinjhara, live at the Cherry Hill condominium, Fiaez said. He said his brother owns the print shop.

Authorities arrived at their home at 6 a.m., Fiaez said, questioned him and his brother on how long they have lived in the U.S. and on the business. After questioning, the FBI told Fiaez he wasn't of interest to them.

Shahzad has been in custody at an undisclosed location since his arrest on May 3 from a Dubai-bound plane at Kennedy Airport. He has waived his right to an initial court appearance and will appear in court as soon as he is finished talking with investigators, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said Thursday in White Plains, N.Y. Federal investigators say he has told them he received weapons training in Pakistan.

Elias Audy, 61, of Boston, is listed at the owner of the Mobil station. He was seen by reporters leaving the business afterward and had no comment.

Shahzad, 30, is accused of trying to detonate a bomb-laden SUV in Times Square on May 1. Police said the bomb had alarm clocks connected to a can filled with fireworks apparently intended to detonate gas cans and propane tanks.

The vehicle smoldered but didn't explode. Federal agents, tracing Shahzad through the SUV's previous owner, caught him two days later on a plane bound for the United Arab Emirates as it was departing New York's Kennedy Airport.

There was no immediate comment from Pakistan on the raids Thursday.

Islamabad has said it was too early to say whether the Pakistani Taliban, which operates from the country's lawless northwest tribal region, was behind the Times Square plot although the U.S. said it found a definite link. But Pakistan promised to cooperate with the investigation and has detained at least four people with alleged connections to suspect Faisal Shahzad.

Vinny Lacerra, 50, who lives across the street from the house raided in Watertown, said he was in his living room about 6 a.m. when he heard somebody say, "FBI! Put your hands up!"

Lacerra said he looked out his windows and saw 15 to 20 FBI agents with their guns drawn surrounding the house.

About 15 minutes later, the agents went inside and came out with one man handcuffed and took him down the street, he said. He also said he saw an agent from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"I was surprised to see this, because this is what you see on TV," Lacerra said.

There was no indication that Audy, the gas station owner, was a target of the terror probe.

Audy was born in Lebanon, and came to the United States at 19 to study at the University of Houston in Texas and then at Northeastern University in Boston near his brother, according to the website of a used car dealership Audy also owned.

"He's very, very philanthropically-minded as a businessman, very involved in his community," said Harry Robinson, executive director of the Brookline Chamber of Commerce.

Robinson said Audy has a wife and family and has been a longtime U.S. resident. Robinson also said he was not only involved in the chamber, but the local Rotary club.

Shahzad had been living in Connecticut. William Reiner, FBI spokesman in Connecticut, there were no search warrants served in the state Thursday as part of the investigation.

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Johnson reported from Boston. Associated Press writers Jay Lindsay in Brookline, Mass.; Russell Contreras, Denise Lavoie in Boston; Tom Hays in New York; Samantha Gross in White Plains, N.Y.; Maryclaire Dale in Camden, N.J.; Geoff Mulvihill in Cherry Hill, N.J.; John Christoffersen in New Haven, Conn.; Clarke Canfield in Portland, Maine; Anita Chang in Islamabad; and Eileen Sullivan in Washington contributed to this report.