Three arrested in FBI sweep from Times Square probe
Watertown, Brookline locations connected to Faisal Shahzad

Three people have been taken into custody on immigration violations today after raids in Watertown, Brookline and other parts of the Northeast in connection with the attempted May 1 Times Square bombing, according to the FBI and state officials.

One man arrested in the Bay State today had previously been ordered out of the country, a federal source tells the Herald.

FBI Boston Special Agent Gail Marcinkiewicz confirmed today’s sweep is linked to the failed bombing in bustling Times Square.

“The searches are the product of evidence that was gathered subsequent to that investigation. They do not relate to any known immediate threat or active plot against the United States,” Marcinkiewicz said.

Besides the two men arrested in Massachusetts, federal agents detained a person in Maine today in connection with the case. Sweeps were also carried out in New York and New Jersey. The Herald has learned the Bay State men arrested are Pakistanis who provided money to the Times Square bombing suspect. That money trail was the key to today’s sweep.

The raid in the Bay State kicked off at 6 a.m. in Watertown, where one man - appearing to be Middle Eastern - was seen shackled and arrested outside 39 Waverley Ave., according to multiple eyewitnesses.

The sweep then spread to Brookline, where FBI agents were seen at two gas stations - one on Harvard Street and the other on Cypress Street.

The brother of the owner of both stations tells the Herald today the man targeted in the sweep had just been hired.

“The guy the FBI is interested in was hired a short time ago to pump gas” at the Harvard Street Mobil station, said Bill Audy, brother of owner Elias Audy. Both brothers came to America in the 1960s from Lebanon, the brother said.

Brookline Police Chief Daniel O’Leary said the FBI has moved on, and there was never “a threat” to residents. FBI agents were seen earlier today carefully examining a silver Honda at the Harvard Street station.

Gov. Deval Patrick today said the “safe and successful” sweep is being carried out by the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and state police. He added he had been “fully briefed” ahead of time about the raid.

Neighbors in Watertown said they were stunned this morning by the sweep on Waverley Avenue.

“I was sitting in the living room at 6 this morning watching television when I heard somebody yell, ‘FBI put your hands up,’ ” said Vincent Lacerra, who lives across the street from the house that was raided, near Watertown Square. “I looked out the window and there were 15 to 20 FBI agents with their guns drawn, pointing at the house right there.”

Lacerra said he saw the feds take out a Middle Eastern man who he had never met.

“There was no struggle,” he said, glancing at the dirty, rundown white house with gray shutters and the blinds drawn. “I kept looking because I thought there was going to be more people removed, but he was the only person I saw.”

Lacerra said the rental property, which is located across the street from Watertown Middle School, is constantly turning over with new residents. Neighbors said they’ve seen police staking out the area for several days, but did not know why.

Authorities this morning were seen taking large cardboard boxes and paper bags out of the house.

Governor’s Councilor Marilyn Devaney, who lives around the corner from the home raided this morning, said, “This is so scary. This whole laissez-faire immigration thing is putting everyone at risk. We’re just fortunate that we’re getting these people before they’re successful. Here we are just six miles from Boston.”

Boston FBI Special Agent in Charge Warren T. Bamford said searches are being conducted at locations throughout the Northeast. State officials confirmed a third man was detained in the Bay State raids, but he was not arrested.

“We can confirm that search warrants have been executed in several locations in the Northeast in connection with the investigation into the attempted Times Square bombing,” Bamford said. “A number of individuals encountered during the searches were taken into federal custody for alleged immigration violations.“

Bamford said the searches “are the product of evidence that has been gathered in the investigation subsequent to the attempted Times Square bombing and do not relate to any known immediate threat to the public or active plot against the United States.”

Faisal Shahzad, a 30-year-old Pakistan-born U.S. citizen, is accused of placing a bomb-laden SUV in Times Square on May 1. The homemade device malfunctioned, but panicked the city and set off an intense manhunt. Shahzad was captured two days later, when he was pulled off a Dubai-bound plane at New York’s Kennedy International Airport.

Elias Audy owns both Brookline gas stations, one a Mobil station and car lot, that the feds searched this morning in Brookline, according to state records.

Audy was seen today at his Harvard Street station, talking to FBI agents.

A woman identified as Audy’s mother, told the Herald today at her West Roxbury home that her son is not involved.

“He’s a very good man. Everybody love him,” said Salam Audy, 85.

State Sen. Steven Tolman, a Democrat who represents Watertown, called the developments in his district “pretty spooky.” He also recalled that in the weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks there were similar probes in his district, including an anti-terror investigation involving a Brighton dentist.

“I’m glad that the FBI is on the ball and I feel very confident that they are not taking this lightly. And it makes me proud to be an American,” Tolman said.

Watertown Police Chief Edward Deveau told reporters his department was asked to assist this morning but was kept at arms length on a need-to-know basis.

“The federal agencies did a tremendous job of coordinating everything,” Deveau said. “Our residents of Watertown are safe and should feel safe. The school’s open, there’s no lockdown. They had recess outside as usual.”

Richard Weir, Maire Szaniszlo. Dave Wedge, Tom Mashberg, Lisa Larson and Joe Dwinell contributed.

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