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Times Square Bomb: Seller of Vehicle to Alleged Times Square Terrorist in Hiding

By Ruth Manuel-Logan on May 5th 2010 2:32PM

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times square bomb

Poor Peggy Colas, not long ago, she was just another face in the crowd living a routine existence and loving it, according to friends and family. The 19-year-old had sold her vehicle last month and made $1,300 from its sale and was thrilled. Colas took the money from her old vehicle's sale to purchase a new ride.

Little did the young woman know that her universe would soon come crashing down: she had just sold her SUV to an alleged terrorist, whose diabolical plan was to senselessly murder countless innocent people in New York City's Times Square area by using her car as a massive fireball.




Colas placed an ad on Craigslist in hopes of selling her 1993 Nissan Pathfinder. A man, Faisal Shahzal, soon responded to the ad . Shahzal called Colas on her cell phone to inquire about the vehicle for sale. The former college student agreed to meet the potential buyer on April 24th in the parking lot of a supermarket located in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

When they met, although Colas warned Shahzal about the vehicle's engine troubles, he never even bothered to pop open the hood. He just took the vehicle for a spin later in the day, then afterward, forked over the $1,300 in denominations of $100 bills. Shazal also assured Colas and her unidentified companion that a bill of sale was not at all necessary, because he already had license plates for the vehicle which he produced for her. The teen did not know the buyer's name, but she did have his cell phone number.

FBI investigators questioned Colas last Sunday and then again Monday, and they credit her for providing them with critical information that helped track down Shazal (pictured below). She also provided a police sketch artist with a like rendering of the suspect.

times square bomb

Friends last heard from Colas last Sunday through a Facebook (FB) posting, which stated: "OMG! I had a crazy day ... It's official. I have bad luck. SMH I hope they find that bastard." By Tuesday, investigators discovered that Colas had changed her FB name to Peggy Banks and withheld all of her photos, personal information and posts.

Colas' brother and mother are frantic over her welfare, telling the New York Post that her daughter is afraid for her safety, "My daughter's nervous. She doesn't want this guy coming after her."

A friend of Colas also worries that she might not be handling all of the unwanted publicity very well. He tells the Post, "She likes her privacy," he said. "I wouldn't blame her for hiding out, you never know what these terrorist nuts are going to do. I hope wherever she is, she's all right."

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