Times Square bomber still confused about why car bomb failed to explode

NEW YORK - Bewildered Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad still has no idea why the SUV that he loaded with explosives failed to blow up.

According to the New York Post, Shahzad repeatedly asked federal investigators in a hotel room why the bomb he built failed to go off.

Aside from wanting to target other New York landmarks, a person familiar with the case said that during more than two weeks of questioning, Shahzad expressed surprise the device-comprised up of fireworks, gasoline canisters, propane tanks and fertilizer-did not explode on May 1.

Experts said the bomb had been poorly constructed with a nest of wires, battery-operated alarm clocks and heavy bags of fertilizer that couldn’t explode.

The suspect said he thought the fireworks, which he purchased from a store in Pennsylvania, would trigger a chain-reaction that would rupture the tanks and create a deadly fireball.

Instead, the concoction created a lot of smoke, catching the attention of two eagle-eyed street vendors who alerted police.

Shahzad left the vehicle on West 45th Street amid hundreds of people enjoying the tourist haven.

The attempted bombing prompted a massive police response, but no one was hurt.

Shahzad had also considered attacking Grand Central Terminal, Rockefeller Center, the World Financial Center near Ground Zero and Sikorsky Inc., a defense contractor with an office in his Connecticut hometown.

Shahzad appeared in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday for the first time since his May 3 arrest.

He is being held without bail on five felony charges including attempted use of weapons of mass destruction and attempted acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, each of which carry potential penalties of life in prison. (ANI)