Another Pakistani arrested in Times Square bombing case

ISLAMABAD - Authorities in Pakistan have arrested the son of a prominent catering company owner in connection with the failed Times Square bombing case, US and Pakistani officials said.

Salman Ashraf, son of Rana Ashraf Khan, who owns Hanif Rajput Catering, was taken into custody a few days ago, the officials said Friday.

Rana Ashraf Khan, meanwhile, said he was shocked by the news of the arrest and that Salman had been missing for the past 12 days.

The accused had been talking to the Taliban about certain Pakistani military and other officials at diplomatic and government events, a US official said.

Another official said there were indications that the catering company was going to be used as a cover for an attack in Pakistan.

There is “very specific information about a potential, imminent, plot. Initial indications are it is a Pakistani target,” CNN quoted the official as saying.

Information related to the catering service surfaced after investigations into the Times Square case, the official said, adding that they were looking into whether the company has ties to the Pakistani Taliban.

The US Embassy in Pakistan has also warned American citizens against using the catering company.

Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistani immigrant living in Connecticut and working as a financial analyst, was taken into custody May 3 as he tried to flee to his native Pakistan on a flight out of John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Shahzad had left a Nissan Pathfinder packed with makeshift, defective explosives in Times Square May 1.