Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

News

Fireball Video: If The Times Square Bomb Worked

Ben Yakas

Published Sep 30, 2010

Modified Sep 30, 2010

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

Never miss a story

Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

Ben Yakas

Published Sep 30, 2010

Modified Sep 30, 2010

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Prosecutors told the judge in the trial of Faisal Shahzad, the man who tried and failed to blow up Times Square last May, that Shahzad deserves life in jail. They argued in court papers that Shahzad, who already pleaded guilty to charges, sought to "exact revenge on the same country where he had lived for nearly a decade and in which he had applied to become a citizen." To buffer their recommendation to the judge, who will sentence Shahzad next Tuesday, they revealed more details about his plans, as well as a Joint Terrorism Task Force bomb test video (you can see it above) to show what the devastation would have looked like.

The feds also said that Shahzad told authorities that he thought his bomb would kill at least 40 people, and planned to set off another one two weeks later. "If Times Square was successful, he was coming back for more," a senior federal law enforcement official told the Daily News. He planned out the attack months ahead, by studying live web feeds on the Internet to determine which areas drew the largest crowds and when they would be busiest. And because of his "lasting sense of pride in his actions," including the invocation of the word "mujahid," (which the Post says translates as "Muslim holy warrior"), prosecutors believe there is no chance for rehabilitation.

The prosecutors gave the Judge two videos: one created by the Pakistan Taliban showing Shahzad holding a Koran, saying, "Get up and learn from me and make an effort. Nothing is impossible if you just keep in mind that Allah is with you." In the other, the Joint Terrorism Task Force bomb test video, you can see a Nissan Pathfinder, the kind of car Shahzad packed with explosives on May 1st, explode into a massive fireball in a Pennsylvania field, destroying four other cars along with it. “While it is impossible to calculate precisely the impact of Shahzad’s bomb had it detonated, the controlled detonation conducted by the [Joint Terrorism Task Force] demonstrated that those effects would have been devastating to the surrounding area,” prosecutors wrote.

Tagged

bombing

faisal shahzad

Times Square

times square bomb

Ben Yakas

Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

MORE news

Peepapalooza: NYC is heading to the Hudson Valley to watch the leaves

Don't be surprised if you run into someone from your building in Beacon.

Elizabeth Shwe

and

Sean Carlson

Published Oct 24, 2026 at 10:46 a.m. ET

NYPD: Officer shot, injured knife-wielding woman during ‘chaotic’ night at Queens home

The woman is in stable condition, police said, but several people were stabbed.

Ryan Kost

News

NYPD: Officer shot, injured knife-wielding woman during ‘chaotic’ night at Queens home

The woman is in stable condition, police said, but several people were stabbed.

Ryan Kost

3 slates vying to run Jersey City school board as city stares down major tax hikes

Michael Sol Warren

5 men charged with trespassing in 2 Manhattan manhole cases

Charles Lane

6-year-old girl breaks leg after getting hit by falling bricks in Queens

Charles Lane

Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .