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Tactical Counterterrorism
Tactics, Techniques,
and Procedures (TTPs)
The vehicle was parked in a high-traffic area, by
both pedestrians and vehicles, and if it had ignited,
it could have produced numerous casualties. The
following items were found in the vehicle:
•
Two five-gallon containers of gasoline
•
Three 20-pound propane tanks
•
Electrical wires
•
Black powder
•
Consumer-grade fireworks
•
Two digital clocks with batteries
•
A four-foot by two-foot metal box resembling
a gun locker filled with possibly fertilizer
IED
. Consumer-grade fireworks, resembling a
model known as M-80s, were taped around the out-
side of the gasoline cans . . . two clocks with batter-
ies, including one that resembled a child’s toy, were
connected to the device by small wires. Investiga-
tors believe the fireworks had been lit but did not
explode. The use of gas cylinders in VBIEDs is a
common practice for many extremist groups. The
cylinders are easily acquired by theft or legitimate
purchase. The versatility of the containers has lent
itself to many uses.
Preoperational Activities: Training
. Shahzad
left the United States for Pakistan in September
2009 with the specific intention of training with the
TTP. He returned to the United States in early Feb-
ruary 2010. The TTP was designated a Foreign Ter -
rorist Organization (FTO) in September 2010. Shah-
zad left for Pakistan with his wife and two children.
They did not return to the United States with him.
From December 2009 to January 2010, Shahzad
participated in tactical training, including five days of
explosives training in Waziristan, Pakistan, from indi-
viduals affiliated with the TTP. Six months prior to
the bombing attempt, while at the TTP training camp,
Shahzad appeared in a 40-minute-long video to dis-
cuss his motivations and justifications for his intend-
ed attack in the United States. The TTP released the
video after Shahzad’s arrest. Shahzad delivered his
statements entirely in English. He did not discuss the
specifics of his plan to attack Times Square in the
video; however, the split screen shows the media’s
publicly released images of the unfolding event.
Shahzad quotes Abdullah Azzam, Osama bin
Laden’s ideological mentor, and Hadith on the con-
ditions that justify Jihad and the requirement for all
Muslims to participate in Jihad. He thanked
“Imams who are spreading the dawa and talking
about Jihad, especially in English.” “Because of
them,” he said, “I am here.” He states that his attack
would be to “get revenge for all the Muslims who
have been martyred . . . like Abu Musab al-
Zarqawi.”
Preoperational Activities: Vehicle Acquisi -
tion
. Shahzad found the 1993 Nissan Pathfinder for
sale on Craigslist and left a voicemail with the own-
er; he provided a phone number but not his name.
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