[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 72 (Thursday, May 13, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E851]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING THE CITIZENS OF NEW YORK FOR THE ATTEMPTED TERRORIST 
                         ATTACK IN TIMES SQUARE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                  in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 13, 2010

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this 
resolution honoring and expressing support for the vigilance and prompt 
response of the citizens and law enforcement agencies in New York and 
Connecticut, as well as Federal authorities, to the attempted terrorist 
attack in Times Square on May 1, 2010, their exceptional 
professionalism and investigative work following the attempted attack, 
and their consistent commitment to preparedness for and collective 
response to terrorism.
  Just less than 54 hours is what it took for Federal law enforcement 
agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, to identify, 
find, and apprehend Mr. Faisal Shahzad, the prime suspect for this 
attempted act of terror.
  During the 54 hours, the New York Police Department, working with 
Federal and State law enforcement agencies, including the Federal 
Bureau of Investigation, and others identified and began unraveling the 
tangled web that eventually led to Mr. Shahzad's arrest. This arrest 
could not have been made without the help of several people and 
organizations.
  First, I commend the alertness and awareness of Mr. Lance Orton and 
Mr. Duane Jackson for ``seeing something'' and ``saying something'' to 
law enforcement. If it were not for these citizens, many others could 
have been hurt and Mr. Shahzad might not have been apprehended. This is 
the kind of vigilance is vital to our homeland security efforts.
  Second, I want to thank the citizens of New York for helping and 
cooperating with law enforcement during the precautionary evacuations 
in the vicinity of Times Square. I also want to acknowledge New Yorkers 
and their resilient nature and ability to return to life as normal.
  Third, I want to express my deep appreciation for the professionalism 
and collective response of the following law enforcement agencies: New 
York City Police Department, in particular Police Officer Wayne 
Rhatigan of Mounted Unit Troop B, the Fire Department of New York, the 
New York Police Department Bomb Squad, led by Lieutenant Mark Torre and 
other first responders, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United 
States Customs and Border Protection, the Transportation Security 
Administration, the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern 
District of New York, the Department of Homeland Security, the 
Department of Justice, the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, the 
Bridgeport Police Department, Detective Bureau, Patrol Division, and 
other law enforcement agencies in Connecticut.
  Finally, I want to say that without these citizens and the 
collaborative effort of law enforcement, we would not have the mountain 
of evidence we have now, including two additional unnamed suspects in 
custody. It is also more likely true that according to the Attorney 
General, the Pakistani Taliban was likely involved in planning this 
attempted attack. As such, we must remain vigilant against terrorism 
and our enemies.
  Madam Speaker, while I know others may say that we just got lucky 
this time, I say that they are missing the point. Our post-9/11 efforts 
to foster greater vigilance among our citizens and a culture of 
preparedness and collaboration among first responders and law 
enforcement paid off. Further, we stayed true to our cherished 
constitutional principals as we initiated this wide-scale collective 
response to terrorism. As evidenced by what we saw on May 2, 2010, the 
citizens of New York and this great country are and remain committed to 
living their lives in the pursuit of the cherished tradition we have 
celebrated since our country's start and that is the pursuit of 
freedom.

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