The initial reports on the "why?" question regarding Times Square bombing suspect Faisal Shahzad focused on his recent financial problems and the possibility that he was radicalized in just the past year or two during trips to his native Pakistan.

This morning's New York Times adds another layer to the evolving story, and offers evidence that he may have begun embracing radical Islamist ideas well before last year:

"The roots of Mr. Shahzad's militancy appear to have sprouted long before (he lost his Connecticut home in 2009), according to interviews with relatives, friends, classmates, neighbors, colleagues and government officials, as well as e-mail messages written by Mr. Shahzad that were obtained by The New York Times. His argument with American foreign policy grew after 9/11. ...

"As Mr. Shahzad became more religious, starting around 2006, he was also turning away from the Pakistan of his youth, friends recalled. ...

"And while in recent years Mr. Shahzad struggled to pay his bills, it is unclear that his financial hardship played a significant role in his radicalization. He still owned his home and held a full-time job when he began signaling to friends that he wanted to leave the United States."

Shahzad, a 30-year-old, Pakistan-born, U.S. citizen, is accused of driving an SUV, containing a potentially dangerous but crudely put together explosive device, to Times Square on the evening of May 1. Street merchants spotted smoke coming from the vehicle and alerted police, who evacuated the area. Fortunately, the bomb fizzled. Shahzad was arrested two days later at New York's JFK airport. He had just boarded a plane bound for Dubai, and presumably was on his way to Pakistan, where his family lives. Authorities say he has admitted his involvement in the botched bombing. He may have received some training in recent years from members of the Pakistani Taliban.

Last Thursday, three Pakistani men were arrested in Massachusetts and Maine for allegedly supplying funds to Shahzad — though investigators say it is not clear the men knew what the money might be used for.