Car-bomb motive may have been religion

NEW YORK, May 7 (UPI) -- The motive of a Pakistani-American man's alleged attempt to bomb Times Square is not clear, but one source told CNN he may have felt Islam was under attack.

U.S. investigators continued to question the suspect, Faisal Shahzad, 30, a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Shahzad is suspected of leaving a sport-utility vehicle loaded with explosives in the bustling theater district of New York City Saturday. The explosives failed to detonate.

An official familiar with the investigation told about Shahzad's concern for Islam but the investigation so far had found no indication he had held any long-standing grudge against America, CNN said.

Saud Anwar, past president of the Pakistani American Association of Connecticut, where Shahzad had a home, told CNN: "He was somebody who was under the radar; he was never a part of our community, never a part of our events or meetings."

The CNN report, quoting a senior Pakistani official, also said one of several people rounded up in that country for questioning is Muhammed Rehan, suspected of having links to Jaish-e-Mohammed, a group with ties to al-Qaida.

The official told CNN Rehan, who was picked up in Karachi, allegedly helped arrange a meeting between Shahzad and at least one senior Pakistani Taliban official. Shahzad reportedly received bomb-making training in Pakistan.

Others being questioned include the father-in-law of Shahzad and a friend, CNN reported, quoting two intelligence officials.