Officials Identify 'Person of Interest'

Federal officials are homing in on a suspect in Saturday’s foiled Times Square attack: According to a senior administration official, investigators have identified the “person of interest” as a naturalized American citizen originally from Pakistan, The Washington Post reports. The man reportedly paid cash for the explosive-rigged 1993 Nissan Pathfinder about three weeks ago, without any paperwork; he also allegedly returned recently from a five-month trip to Pakistan. The registered owner of the SUV, who lives in Connecticut, told officials he couldn’t remember the man’s name. (The police don’t consider the owner to be a suspect.) Earlier Monday, an FBI-led terrorism task force took over the investigation, after new evidence revealed that the plot may be international in scope, and may involve several players. One U.S. official said of the investigation: “Don’t be surprised if you find a foreign nexus… they’re looking at some telltale signs and they’re saying it’s pointing in that direction.” The Post calls the disclosure “tentative” and notes that “several officials said it was premature to rule out any motive, but said the sweeping, multi-state investigation was turning up new clues.” Officials say they’ve developed domestic and international leads, and that the plot appears to be more sophisticated than originally suspected.