Phantom’s fireworks found in Times Square van

A man accused of trying to blow up a van in Times Square purchased some of the explosive material from Youngstown-based Phantom Fireworks, but his plans for destruction may have been flawed from the onset.

Faisal Shahzad, a citizen of the United States, was arrested at a New York airport on charges that he drove a bomb-laden SUV meant to cause a fireball in Times Square. He was boarding a plane headed for Dubai and had recently returned from a trip to Pakistan.

Bill Weimer, vice president of Phantom Fireworks, said representatives of the Youngstown-based company heard consumer-grade fireworks were part of the plan to cause the explosion and offered assistance to FBI agents.

“As soon as we heard there were some consumer fireworks involved, our thinking was we could reach out and identify them if they were ours. And if they were not ours, we could offer help identifying the source of the fireworks,” said Weimer.

Weimer said some of Phantom Fireworks’ small firecrackers were found among the explosive items in the van.

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