King Wants FBI Probe of Terror Suspect Leaks
By Michael McAuliffDaily News
May 5, 2010
Long Island Rep. Pete King says the Obama administration leaked an almost “unprecedented” amount of information about the Times Square bomb suspect yesterday — tipping the man off, giving him a chance to flee with a deadly weapon, and jeopardizing the case and people’s lives.
And that, King told the Mouth, warrants a serious investigation.
“I believe the FBI should investigate who leaked this information out before the arrest was made,” said King, a Republican member of the Homeland Security and Intelligence committees. “I think it compromised the investigation and put lives at risk. This guy was carrying a weapon.”
Faisal Shahzad, 30, was apprehended at Kennedy Airport just after 11 p.m. last night. King notes details about the man started surfacing in the afternoon, when the world had believed cops were looking for a middle-aged white man.
“To be putting law enforcement at risk of the investigation being compromised, and him getting away - it could have ended up in a gun battle,” King said. “This guy took off when he realized they were coming after him.”
King, the ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, said he’s never seen such “totally irresponsible” behavior in an ongoing, high-level probe.
“I don’t know of a case where this early in the investigation, when you’re after someone, you tip off the suspect that you know who he is and you’re coming after him,” King said. “This gave him time to plan an escape and he did get away. He made it to the plane. It appears, from what I can see, that he was lost, that they lost him.”