King: 'Did they Mirandize him?'
By: Kasie HuntPolitico
May 4, 2010
Rep. Peter King (N.Y.), the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, wants to know whether the Pakistani-born American arrested in connection with a car bomb in New York City’s Times Square was read his Miranda rights.
“I hope that [Attorney General Eric] Holder did discuss this with the intelligence community. If they believe they got enough from him, how much more should they get? Did they Mirandize him? I know he’s an American citizen but still,” King said.
“I hope that if they did read him his rights and if they are going for an indictment as opposed to a tribunal that he did discuss it with the Director of National Intelligence, the Central Intelligence Agency, all the component parts of the intelligence community,” King said.
Faisal Shahzad was arrested Monday night at John F. Kennedy airport in New York City as he attempted to board a flight to Dubai. The 30-year-old was born in Pakistan but is a U.S. citizen.
The incident is the most serious terrorism attempt since Dec. 25, when Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to detonate a bomb aboard a Northwest Airlines flight. Abdulmutallab was read his Miranda rights and reportedly stopped talking with law enforcement officials, sparking an outcry from Republicans who argued he should have been interrogated as an enemy combatant.
King acknowledged that Shahzad’s case is different. “It is different form the Christmas day bombing because one this guy is an American citizen, it appears that most of the work was carried out here in the United States as opposed to Abdulmutallab who was flying in,” King said. “That said before there’s a rush to indict him, I think they should make an effort to figure out what is the best venue for him.”
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
After the Christmas Day bombing, Holder took personal responsibility for the decision to try Abdulmutallab in federal court, where a judge can toss out evidence taken from a suspect who has not been read his Miranda rights. In a letter to Congress, he said he had consulted with the intelligence community before the decision to indict him was made.
But in congressional hearings in the aftermath of the Dec. 25 attempt, top officials—including Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair and Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano—said they were not consulted.
DHS and the DNI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.