Time Square Bomber a Real Threat?

We now know that Faisal Shahzad is the suspect in the New York Times Square bomb attempt.

We also now know that he was caught on a plane mere seconds away from take off at JFK airport for a possible safe haven in Dubai.

What is left is rumour and innuendo that major newspapers, TV stations and yes, even bloggers haven't been able to sort out.

The Times of India is linking him in Pakistani-Taliban circles, saying he may be a part of terrorist organizations such as Tehreek-e-Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba or Jaish-e-Mohammed. The paper also infers that perhaps the US is covering up some details about his background, because, as they put it, "US-Pakistani relations would sour dramatically if Shahzad is found to have trained in bomb training in Pakistan.."

These reports are contrary to what we are hearing in the mainstream, which talks about the poor bomb-making abilities of Shahzad, calling it amateur, and "not in line with the bomb-making abilities" of terrorists in that region.

Any links to the Taliban cannot be confirmed, and it appears that the US, while not sweeping the issue under the carpet, is attempting to make Shahzad look like a modern day Gomer Pile. An American citizen who never had issues with the US until lately, when he stopped paying his mortgage.

Not paying his mortgage? What could be MORE American?

TOI also points to the fact that Shahzad's uncle was a Major-General in Pakistan - certainly that is proof that he wanted harm to be done to those in Times Square.

The newspaper suggests that having a high ranking uncle would have allowed Shahzad to undergo terrorist training without much trouble. Not that anything in what I'm hearing that would suggest he's had any training at all.

Shahzad is facing terrorism and weapons charges in the US, but what amounts to a handful of cherry bombs he bought from a corner store wouldn't have done any damage whatsoever.

And if you are to believe what the mainstream media is feeding us, this Gomer Pile was also 'bright' enough to have tried to this a couple days earlier, but forgot the keys for the pathfinder 'bomb' car and the getaway car.

The Pakistanis meanwhile, portray Shahzad as a naturalized American - and not a Pakistani at all.

Although when hard pressed, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi says it could be the Taliban retaliating for American drone attacks.

So - is it naturalized American turned terrorist, or bumbling Connecticut man loses his marbles?

What's your call?