Looking at the NY bomber money trail

Guardian:

...

"Somebody's financially sponsoring him, and that's the link we're pursuing," a US official said. "And that would take you on the logic train back to Pak-Taliban authorisations."

Another line of inquiry pursued by investigators is how Shahzad came into contact with the Taliban. Al-Qaida has attempted to recruit Americans or those with visas to enter the US without raising suspicion, such as the Nigerian who is accused of attempting to blow up a flight over Detroit on Christmas Day.

But it appears more likely in Shahzad's case that he was either recruited while in Pakistan or arrived in the country seeking to volunteer to launch an attack inside the US. That potentially provides an easy way for the Taliban to take credit for an attack without investing in men or resources.

The FBI says that Shahzad has admitted receiving training in Pakistan. But the authorities have apparently yet to establish exactly who Shahzad established links with and what his motive was in turning against his adopted country.

The rush to uncover Shahzad's links to Pakistan's murky militant underworld continued today. Pakistani and American investigators are questioning up to eight people, mostly in the port city of Karachi where the car bomb suspect spent time during a journey across Pakistan last year.

Among those detained are several members of Shahzad's family and his father-in-law, Iftikhar Mian, who was arrested by Pakistani intelligence agents in Karachi on Wednesday. Shahzad's wife, Huma Mian, and their two young children moved to Pakistan some months ago.

Mian was born in Colorado, where she attended university, graduating in 2004 with a degree in accounting. Her profile on the orkut.com social networking site shows pictures of Mian with Shahzad and a small child dressed in a pink bunny costume. In her profile, Mian wrote that her passions are "fashion, shoes, bags, SHOPPING!! AND of course Faisal".

Shahzad became an American national after marrying Mian who already held US citizenship, and received a BA in computer science and engineering from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut.

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I had heard his wife was a citizen, but I was not aware she was born in the US despite her parents living in Pakistan. It is interesting how her birthright citizenship was leverage into citizenship for her husband.

I think the money trial is a productive area of inquiry. Someone was funding him and it could have been his wealthy father-in-law who is being held by the Pakistan authorities. That is the only reason I can think of for detaining him.