Mimic explosion of foiled Times Square bomb

Prosecutors in America have released a video showing a massive set-up explosion to show the potential damage the foiled Times Square bomb last May could have caused.

The Times Square bomb never went off, but prosecutors plan to use the FBI video in court, in an effort to show the destructive force that could have killed scores of people.

Faisal Shahzad, 30, pleaded guilty in June to the failed bombing on May 1. He was arrested two days later aboard a Dubai-bound plane, minutes before it was due to leave JFK Airport.

Shahzad admitted he received training in bomb-making from the Pakistani Taliban, called Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, and said they had funded the failed attack. Court documents reveal Shahzad told investigators he thought his bomb would have killed at least 40 people, and that he had planned to carry out a second bombing attack two weeks later. The target of the second attack was not identified in the documents.

Prosecutors said Shahzad, a naturalised US citizen, posed a "particularly pernicious threat" and his prison sentence should deter potential future radicalisation of US citizens. They also said Shahzad used the internet to study Times Square to try to maximise damages.

Prosectutors also said he consulted with militants in Pakistan throughout the bomb-making process. As he assembled the bomb from the Connecticut home, prosecutors said, he used specific programmes on his computer to communicate with Tehrik-e-Taliban militants.

Shahzad is due to be sentenced in Manhattan federal court on October 5.