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Bomb in NYC had Phantom material
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
YOUNGSTOWN
A man accused of trying to blow up a van in New York City’s 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 Pakistani-born U.S. citizen, 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 recently had 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. Based on the items found, Weimer has devised a theory about what Shahzad was planning to do.
Weimer said he believes the man was planning to light the firecrackers in an attempt to start a chain reaction with other firecrackers in the van and cause a fire. The fire, he said, then was supposed to ignite the gasoline and propane inside the van.
The plan, according to Weimer, was flawed from the start because the consumer-grade fireworks being used do not contain enough explosive material to make the chain reaction possible.
“The fact is that the firecrackers we sell have little of the pyrotechnic composition that gives the bang the firecracker produces,” he said. “The reality is that these products are designed not to mass detonate. He was doomed from the start because he chose to use these consumer fireworks.”
Weimer could not say for certain where or how Shahzad purchased the Phantom products but said the company operates showrooms in Pennsylvania not far from New York. He said the company does keep records, and, if purchased from the company directly, Shahzad’s information should be on file.
Weimer said the company has been and will continue to be available to assist the FBI in any way possible.
“We are just happy that we were able to help in a small way in this terrible situation,” he said.