Three passengers removed from terror suspect's flight

US officials take three people off a New York-Dubai flight after a suspect in a weekend Time's Square bombing was arrested trying to fly to the emirate.

US officials took three people off a New York-Dubai flight moments before it was to take off, Emirates Airline said today after a suspect in a weekend New York bombing was arrested trying to fly to the emirate. "Emirates can confirm that its flight EK 202 (from New York to Dubai on May 3) ... was called back by the local authorities prior to departure. Three passengers were removed from the flight," the airline said in a statement. "Full security procedures were activated, including the deplaning of all passengers and a thorough screening of the aircraft, passengers, and baggage. Emirates is co-operating with the local authorities," it said. The three passengers were removed from the aircraft by "US authorities," a spokeswoman for Emirates said without elaborating. US officials said earlier that a Pakistani-American suspect in an attempted car bombing on Saturday in New York's Times Square was arrested while trying to flee on flight from New York to Dubai. New York police chief Raymond Kelly has said more than one person may have been involved in the attempted bombing, but offered no specifics. The bomb failed to go off, and police flooded the area, shutting down entire blocks, evacuating thousands and preventing many tourists from getting back to their hotels or to Broadway shows. A statement from US law enforcement officials said the suspect, Faisal Shahzad, was arrested around 11:45pm Monday "for allegedly driving a car bomb into Times Square on the evening of May 1, 2010." * AFP