The arrest of Faisal Shahzad, the alleged Times Square bomber, has been characterized by a Pakistani newspaper as a "conspiracy against Pakistan as evidence provided by [U.S.] intelligence agencies is inconclusive," according to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

The Roznama Ummat story argues:

"The FBI at first claimed that a white man was involved in suspected activities but afterward a Pakistani was arrested. The claim of the Taliban that it was their attempt was rejected by the U.S., yet now America is searching for some excuse to declare that the Taliban is responsible for planting the bomb."

MEMRI reports that Shahzad did meet with a commander of the Sunni militant organization Jaish-e-Muhammad in July, according to an Urdu-language daily. Jaish-e-Muhammad has links to the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Shahzad also reportedly admitted to spending five months last year in a bomb-making training camp in Pakistan.

A Pakistani journalist and host of a popular current affairs talk show on the GEO television network also echoed the conspiracy theories. The Urdu-language newspaper Roznama Jang quoted television host Kamran Khan as stating, "After the arrest of the Pakistani-born American citizen, Pakistan is once again being presented internationally as a center of terrorism."

According the MEMRI, Khan continued:

"The noteworthy point is that the arrests of the Pakistani-born American citizen came when the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the [Times Square] incident. Everything happened on the same day a court in Mumbai was declaring a Pakistani guilty of the Mumbai attacks [of 2008]."

The Pakistani Khan is referring to is Mohammed Ajmal Mir Kasab, who was sentenced to death by an Indian court on Thursday.

As a result, "Kamran Khan is of the view that commentators are observing that a conspiracy is being weaved around Pakistan once again," Roznama Jang reports.

Pakistani conspiracy theories against the West are not new, but they have resulted into widespread anti-American sentiment. Following the February conviction of Aafia Siddiqui, a 37-year old Pakistani scientist who tried to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan, thousands of Pakistanis protested, holding signs such as "US Attack Against Islam and Muslims." The protestors believe Siddiqui is innocent.