A Connecticut man of Pakistani descent was accused on Tuesday of driving a failed car bomb into New York's Times Square after he was arrested at the JFK Airport upon departure, authorities said.

A surveillance photo captured in Times Square shows a Nissan Pathfinder sports utility vehicle (R) containing a bomb in this New York Police Department image released on May 2, 2010. Backyard barbecue gas tanks, firecrackers and alarm clocks were among the ingredients used to make the car bomb that authorities say would have killed many people if it had exploded in New York's busy Times Square. [Xinhua/Reuters]

 

Faisal Shahzad, a U.S. citizen who was born in Pakistan, will appear in Manhattan federal court later on Tuesday.

Shahzad was arrested at 11:45 p.m. on Monday (0345 GMT) at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York as he tried to board a flight to Dubai, Attorney General Eric Holder said on Tuesday. He was trying to board a flight to Dubai.

Investigators said he was apparently "trying to flee" the country.

"It's clear that the intent behind this terrorist act was to kill Americans," Holder told a news conference, urging the Americans to keep vigilant.

Official said Shahzad had recently returned from a five-month trip to Pakistan, where he had a wife, but was not apparently headed back there.

The suspect was believed to be the one who recently bought the 1993 Nissan Pathfinder SUV that was found loaded with gasoline, propane, fireworks and fertilizer in the center of the square on Saturday, official sources were quoted by the New York Times as saying.

Authorities identified Shahzad after tracking records of the vehicle back to its previous owner in Bridgeport, Connecticut, who had advertised it for sale on several websites.