A Pakistani-born American has been arrested on suspicion of masterminding the May 1 botched bombing and has allegedly told investigators he trained under the Pakistani Taleban in the largely militant-held region of Waziristan, close to the Afghan border.

US officials have praised a series of offensives against the Pakistani Taleban and allied groups in the border areas over the last two years. But the Times Square incident has added to pressure on the army to move into North Waziristan, a region it has previously largely left alone.

The visit by CIA Director Leon Panetta and US national security adviser former Gen. James Jones was the first since the failed attack. The two men met with President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday afternoon, said presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar. They were also scheduled to meet with Pakistan's spy chief and other officials.

“Jones expressed appreciation for the excellent cooperation the United States is receiving from Pakistan,” the statement said. “The talks covered measures that both countries are, and will be, taking to confront the common threat we face from extremists and prevent such potential attacks from occurring again.” Pakistani officials have said very little about the investigation. Anonymous officials say several people connected to the suspect, Faisal Shahzad, have been picked up, but they gave no information on what role — if any — they played in the attack.

The Pakistani Taleban, which have previously not conducted attacks on US soil, have been the target of several Pakistani army offensives over the last two years and been battered by scores of American missile strikes. They are allied to Al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taleban just across the border.