Before "a disturbing change" of character in early 2009, arrested
terrorist Faisal Shahzad, ABC's Chris Cuomo asserted Tuesday night,
"seemed to be living the American dream" with a wife whose Facebook
page "says she loves Everybody Loves Raymond and Friends" while "his
signature seems to suggest optimism - it appears a heart is dotting
the 'i' in Faisal" in a job application found outside his foreclosed
house. (larger jpg image [1])
How heartwarming.
The "big question" for a befuddled Cuomo: "Why did someone, with
apparently so much to live for, simply decide to throw it all away?"
From the Tuesday, May 4 ABC's World News:
CHRIS CUOMO: Diane, we've also recently learned that Shahzad is actually the son of a prominent member of the Pakistani military. But for all we learned, the big question remains: Why did someone, with apparently so much to live for, simply decide to throw it all away? Faisal Shahzad seemed to be living the American dream. Wife, two kids, nice house in the suburbs, an immigrant from Pakistan bettering himself through education and hard work.
NEIGHBOR: They had little picnics in the backyard. They were always to themselves. The wife looked happy.
CUOMO: Her Web page, filled with baby photos, says she loves Everybody Loves Raymond and Friends. Under the photo of her husband, the caption: "He is my everything."
But in this pile of trash left outside his former home, we found traces of a life left behind. This job application lists primary school in Saudi Arabia, and several schools in Pakistan. There are signs of his efforts to learn the English language, as well. He lists the "University of Auston Taxes" - as in Austin, Texas. Yet, Shahzad would go on to earn a BS and MBA at the University of Bridgeport. Even his signature seems to suggest optimism - it appears a heart is dotting the "i" in Faisal....
- Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center. Click here [2] to follow him on Twitter.