Islamabad: An employee at Pakistan's
state-run Islamic advisory body has been detained for
allegedly playing an important role in assisting the failed
New York Times Square car bomber, an intelligence officer said
on Thursday.
The suspect accompanied Faisal Shahzad, the
Pakistan-American bomber, to Pakistan's northwest to meet
militant leaders, said the officer, who spoke on condition of
anonymity because the intelligence agency does not permit its
operatives to be named in the media.
The suspect, identified as Faisal Abbasi, was with
Shahzad throughout his time in Pakistan, the officer said.
He said Abbasi worked for the government's Council of
Islamic Ideology, which advises on Islamic affairs.
The secretary general of the council confirmed Abbasi
had worked there but had been on "vacation" for the last three
months.
Pakistan has already charged three men with assisting
Shahzad while in Pakistan and sending him money in America.
Shahzad is due to be sentenced in the United States on
October 5. He has pleaded guilty to the May 1 failed bombing.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, September 30, 2010, 21:11