Alleged Pakistani Taliban involvement in Times Square almost-bombing

The Pakistani Taliban are sending conflicting messages regarding their involvement with Times Square terror suspect Faisal Shahzad. A Taliban spokesman on Thursday denied the group’s involvement with Shahzad, but said the Pakistani Taliban will expand their focus to include western targets, including the U.S.

The group initially claimed involvement in the attempted attack. Those claims have led some security analysts to note that the combination of radicalized westerners using low-tech weapons represent a potent threat to American security, while noting that the Pakistani Taliban don’t yet have the infrastructure – or the money – to mount significant or repeated attacks on American soil.

Meanwhile, Fazail Shahzad, has told investigators that he was inspired by Anwar al-Awlaki, a cleric hiding in Yemen, who advocates violent jihad against the United States.

For more, we’re joined by Bruce Hoffman, a professor of security studies at Georgetown University.