Shahzad makes first court appearance

After two weeks of intense interrogation at an undisclosed location since his arrest, accused Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad appeared attentive and composed as he was advised of his rights and assigned a lawyer in his first court appearance late Tuesday.

A booking mug shot of Shahzad was released by the U.S. Marshal's Service on Wednesday.

Shahzad, 30, wore a gray sweatsuit and was not shackled or handcuffed during the 10-minute proceeding before U.S. Magistrate James Francis in federal court in Manhattan. He did not enter a plea and spoke only once, when Francis asked if a financial affidavit he filled out was correct.

"Yes," said Shahzad.

Tall and slim, with a shock of black hair and short black beard, he rested his hands on a table without fidgeting and betrayed little emotion. He was surrounded throughout the proceeding by a half-dozen burly marshals. Francis ordered him detained without bail.

A federal public defender, Julia Gatto, was named to represent Shahzad and consulted with him quietly during the hearing. At the end of the hearing, she asked the judge to order halal meals for Shahzad in prison, and he agreed. Shahzad's hands were cuffed behind his back before he left court.

The courtroom was packed with federal agents and reporters and courtroom artists eager to get a first look at Shahzad, but it was an oddly anticlimactic end to two weeks of waiting kicked off by the young Pakistani-American's May 3 arrest at Kennedy Airport.

Typically, defendants are brought to court and given a lawyer within 48 hours of their arrest, but the Justice Department said Shahzad, held in an undisclosed location, quickly began cooperating and providing information about the origins of the attempted car-bombing in midtown Manhattan.

Prosecutors said he had been waiving his right to a speedy presentation in court, but offered no explanation why he was brought in Tuesday. CNN reported Shahzad prompted the court appearance by refusing to further waive the right.

Manhattan civil-rights lawyer Ron Kuby wrote a letter Tuesday morning to the federal court's Chief Judge Loretta Preska urging her to order Shahzad's appearance, but the judge's chambers said she didn't act on it.

"Shahzad has provided valuable intelligence from which further investigative action has been taken," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement. "The investigation into the attempted Times Square bombing continues."

Shahzad is charged in a criminal complaint with five counts: attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, attempted international terrorism, transporting explosives, attempted destruction of property with explosives, and use of a destructive device in an attempted act of terrorism.

Francis told him that he faced two life sentences and additional terms of imprisonment.

Shahzad is due back in court on June 1 for a preliminary hearing, at which the government would have to present evidence to support his continued confinement.

Typically, however, a grand jury indictment is returned prior to the preliminary hearing, eliminating the need for it.

With Pervaiz Shallwani