By Yepoka Yeebo
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Three men in Pakistan will face charges for helping failed Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad, Pakistani police announced on Wednesday, according to news reports.
The UK's Press Association identified the three men as Shoaib Mughal, Shahid Hussain and Humbal Akhtar. Authorities said the men, who have been in custody since the May 1 incident, helped Shahzad meet Pakistani militants, and sent $13,000 to the alleged bomber in the United States when he ran out of money.
The announcement is the first time Pakistani authorities have acknowledged their arrest.
According to the PA, Islamabad Police Deputy Inspector General Bin Yamin said the three would be taken to court soon. Yamin said the men had "militant minds" and a strong hatred for America, the Associated Press reported.
Yamin also said the three men had close ties to the leadership of the Pakistani Taliban, which has claimed responsibility for the attempt to bomb Times Square, the PA reported.
Shahzad, a Pakistani-born U.S. citizen, allegedly left a SUV packed with a makeshift bomb in Times Square on May 1.
He was charged with attempted use of weapons of mass destruction, attempted acts of terrorism, transporting explosives and attempting to destroy property with fire and explosives on May 4.
Shahzad used subsequent court appearances to explain how we went about planting the bomb and to denounce the United States.
