FIRST LOOK: Faisal Shahzad Mugshot
New photo of Times Square car bombing suspect, who made first court appearance.
May 19, 2010 — -- Times Square bombing suspect Faisal Shahzad, who made his first court appearance Tuesday, is seen here in a mug shot provided by the U.S. Marshals.
Shahzad appeared in a Manhattan federal courtroom Tuesday afternoon to hear the charges against him and to be assigned a public defender in an arraignment that lasted less than 10 minutes.
Before Shahzad entered court, the judge cleared the courtroom for a security sweep. Burly U.S. marshals in suits escorted Shahzad to his seat at the defense table where he appeared to listen attentively to federal magistrate Judge James Francis. He remained without handcuffs until he was led from the courtroom at the conclusion of the proceeding.
Shahzad uttered a faint "yes" when the judge asked if his affidavit of financial insufficiency was correct, meaning that Shahzad could not afford private counsel. Judge Francis then appointed public defender Julia Gatto to represent him. Shahzad's only request of the judge was that he be provided with halal meals – food that follows Islamic dietary restrictions.
When the five felony counts against him were read, Shahzad did not enter a formal plea. He is charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, using a destructive device, attempted terrorism, transporting explosives and attempting to destroy property with explosives.
Shahzad, who was led out of the fifth-floor courtroom in handcuffs, is now in the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons. His next court appearance is set for June 1.
Until now, Shahzad had been in the custody of law enforcement since his arrest May 3rd. During that time prosecutors said Shahzad "provided valuable intelligence from which further investigative action has been taken." According to officials, he has been talking with federal agents almost since the moment of his arrest.
Shahzad has become a topic of international diplomacy between the US and Pakistan. National Security Advisor General James Jones and CIA director Leon Panetta updated President Asif Ali Zardari on the investigation.
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Authorities tell ABC News Shahzad has provided a variety of motives for his mission -- that he was angry over friends killed in Pakistan by CIA missile strikes, that his personal life was in crisis -- even making a claim, according to one source, that he acted under duress-and agreed to carry out the attack only because he feared harm would come to his family back in Pakistan if he did not.
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