Will Cooperation Benefit Times Square Bombing Suspect? Experts Disagree New York Times
But on Tuesday, the suspect, Faisal Shahzad , assumed a more traditional role and identity: federal inmate No. 63510-054.
After his first court appearance since his arrest, a federal marshal promptly approached and handcuffed Mr. Shahzad behind his back and led him into a nearby cellblock. He is now in a federal jail in Lower Manhattan.
It is possible he will continue to cooperate, and ultimately his fate may rest on how his cooperation is viewed. While there is little doubt that the information he provided has helped in the investigation of the attempted bombing, whether his assistance will help him is a different matter, one that has stirred discussion in the legal community.
By waiving his right to a speedy court appearance and, most likely, lacking a formal agreement that a lawyer might have negotiated, he may have undermined any leverage he had, said Anthony S. Barkow , a former federal terrorism prosecutor in Manhattan who now runs a center on criminal law at New York University .
