Taliban Now Say They Didn't Send 'Brave' NY Bomber

Pakistani militants say they're proud of Shahzad, but he's not one of them
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted May 7, 2010 5:19 AM CDT
Pakistani Taliban Hails 'Brave' NY Bomb Suspect
Pakistanis read morning newspapers carrying headline stories on the arrest of Faisal Shazad.   (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

The Pakistani Taliban have done a U-turn on their claim of responsibility for the Times Square bomb attempt. Group officials now say they had nothing to do with the bomb—but they are "proud" of the "brave job" done by suspect Faisal Shahzad. American law enforcement officials have traveled to Pakistan to question members of another militant group, Jaish-e-Mohammad , about possible links to Shahzad, AP reports.

A Taliban spokesman told AP that the group only learned about Shahzad's claim to have been trained in Waziristan by reading news reports. While Shahzad appears to have received some training, he didn't learn how to properly attach a detonator or use the right kind of fertilizer, according to retired NYPD bomb squad member Kevin Barry. "He was trained, but he certainly didn't graduate at the top of the class," Barry says. (More Pakistani Taliban stories.)

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