By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com
Suspected NY car bomber Faisal Shahzad who had been holed up in an undisclosed location talking to investigators without an attorney since his arrest May 3, was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Manhattan shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday.
The New York Times reported that Shahzad, 30, was wearing gray shirt and gray pants, and did not enter a plea. He only said “yes” to a question about his strapped finances, when then allowed U .S. Magistrate Judge James C. Francis IV to appoint an attorney, federal defender Julia Gatto, who was sitting at his side, the Times reported.
Gatto asked the judge to make sure he is served food certified as halal, which adheres to Islamic dietary laws. Authorities said he will now be housed in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.
He faces charges of attempting terrorism by attempting to kill people; attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction; using a destructive device in connection with an attempted crime of violence; transporting explosives; and attempting to destroy property with fire and explosives. He faces up to life in prison, but could get a break on a sentence for freely cooperating, legal experts have said.
Whether his level of cooperation will change now that he has an attorney is unclear. Some other terror suspects including the underwear bomber in Detroit continued to cooperate after getting attorneys.
