Himes Thanks Bridgeport Police for Work on Times Square Attempted Bombing

Greenwich Time, Monday, August 23, 2010

BRIDGEPORT -- It took only 53 hours and 11 minutes.

That marked the time between the fizzling of Faisal Shahzad's Times Square attempted bombing and the failure of his attempted flight to the Middle East.

And in those 53 hours, Bridgeport Police, particularly men like Sgt. Juan .J. Gonzalez and Detective Rick Donaldson, assigned to the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, as well as several other officers, played an instrumental role in the investigation. They helped trace the bomb-laden Nissan Pathfinder from the license plate taken off a truck belonging to a Bridgeport man to a college student who sold the Pathfinder to Shahzad. That, in turn, led to raids on Shahzad's apartment on Sheridan Street in Bridgeport and on his former home in Shelton.

Shahzad, proclaiming himself to be a soldier in the war against U.S. terrorism, is awaiting an October sentencing as a result of his guilty plea to 10 federal charges stemming from the attempted bombing. He faces possible life in prison.

On Monday, U.S. Rep. Jim Himes presented a framed three-page congressional resolution that commended the Bridgeport department; the two Times Square vendors who first saw the smoking Pathfinder and alerted New York City police; New York City police; and several federal agencies including the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office for their work in apprehending and convicting Shahzad, a 30-year-old University of Bridgeport graduate who lived in Fairfield County for the past 12 years.

"I have the perfect wall for it," said Gaudett. "Our officers work hard day in and day out. It's nice to be recognized."

Himes acknowledged that it's been "a very rough summer" for the local police department, which is now dealing with a string of homicides that have vaulted the murder rate above last year's entire toll.

Deputy Chief James Honis, who oversees the patrol division, said that in addition to helping trace the stolen license plate and finding the seller of the Pathfinder, officers also provided backup and support to the FBI during the search of Shahzad's home.

"Our officers went out there knowing that often terrorists booby-trap their apartments," Honis said. "What we did was cordon off the street and evacuate people from surrounding homes. We maintained a safety zone for the FBI to operate."

Mayor Bill Finch thanked Himes for "remembering Main Street" and "Sheridan Street" by pushing the resolution through Congress that commended the local department.

"Too often our congressmen only remember Wall Street and Madison Avenue," he said.