国际英语新闻：White House says Pakistani Taliban behind Times Square plot

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The White House said Sunday the Pakistani Taliban was behind a failed bombing attempt in New York' s Times Square last Saturday, accusing the group of funding and directing the attack.

John Brennan, White House Deputy National Security Advisor for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, said to Fox News Sunday that Faisal Shahzad, suspect in the attempt, had "extensive interaction" with the Pakistani Taliban, and the United States is investigating "the extent of that interaction and the extent of the direction and guidance that was given to him."

Earlier in the day, Attorney General Eric Holder told ABC's " This Week" that the United States "developed evidence that shows that the Pakistani Taliban was behind the attack."

This undated image, obtained from orkut.com on May 4, 2010, shows Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistani-American who is suspected as the driver of a bomb-laden SUV into New York's Time Square on May 1.

"We know that they helped facilitate it. We know that they probably helped finance it. And that he was working at their direction," said Holder.

A smoking sports utility vehicle with a suspicious package of gasoline fireworks and propane tanks was discovered last Saturday in New York's Times Square, but the bomb failed to explode. Two days later, Shahzad, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Pakistan was arrested in connection with the attempt.