World

Faisal Shahzad Was American Citizen for Only One Year

by Susan Marie Kovalinsky | May 4, 2010 at 12:46 pm

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The 30 year old Bridgeport , Connecticut man who had worked in New York City as a financial analyst was naturalized as an American citizen last April, officials said on Tuesday.

Faisal Shahzad had lived in the U.S. since 2000. His $200,000.00 suburban home had recently been foreclosed on by JP Morgan Chase Bank of New York, causing his move to the working class neighborhood of Bridgeport, MSNBC reports.

Neighbors said he kept to himself, but jogged at night, sometimes jumping over fences.

Shazad nearly exited the country on a flight bound for Dubai at JFK International Airport, his name not having yet been updated to "no fly" status. The plane was backing out of the gate to enter the runway when air traffic controllers called it in.

Airplanes had figured in his life in the United States: A small jet had been sketched over the Bridgeport skyline on the cover of a University of Bridgeport booklet for foreign students that he had kept for years but was found in the trash outside his home in Bridgeport. Mr. Shahzad apparently went back and forth to Pakistan often, making his last trip in February, according to a Pakistani intelligence official who said he had left on an Emirates flight from Islamabad, the capital.

Suspect trained in Pakistan

The New York Times also reports that the suspect is said to have trained in Pakistan.

Mr. Shahzad reportedly had traveled with three passports, two from Pakistan and one from the United States.

In 2000, Shahzad transferred from Southeastern University to the University of Bridgeport, where he received a bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering.

He was employed as an accountant for a firm that placed temporary employees. Law enforcement officials say documents show he worked for Elizabeth Arden company for a short time.

Shazad also had a wife who lived with him in Connecticut, the New York Times has reported.