BLITZER: Let's get to a CNN exclusive right now for reaction to the arrest of this bomb plot suspect, Faisal Shahzad.

We're joined by Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani.

Mr. Ambassador, thanks very much for coming in.

HUSAIN HAQQANI, PAKISTANI AMBASSADOR TO US: Thank you for having me, Wolf.

BLITZER: I suspect you never heard of this guy 48 hours ago, but now you know a great deal about him, is that right?

HAQQANI: Absolutely, but not as much as we'd like to know. The American authorities have informed us about his arrest. He is an American citizen, born in 1979 in Pakistan. He just celebrated his 31st birthday probably -- maybe he didn't celebrate it in -- in March. And he's responsible for this action.

We will offer all cooperation. There are, as we speak, there are teams working in Pakistan to try and piece together all kinds of evidence -- intelligence, as well as law enforcement.

BLITZER: Can you confirm, based on what you know, that he did train with terrorists in Waziristan in Pakistan?

HAQQANI: I am in no position to confirm that. All we know is that that is what he has told American law enforcement personnel. We will trace back all his steps. There is a major effort underfoot right now. The thing to understand, Wolf, is that Pakistan and the United States are working together not only in this case, but in many other matters, to make sure that Pakistan is not used by anyone to train or to conduct any act of terrorism anywhere in the world.

BLITZER: How many individuals have you, the government of Pakistan, arrested as a result of what happened at Times Square?

Because we heard there were multiple arrests today.

HAQQANI: Well, there are people who are being questioned in Pakistan. And, of course, arrest implies that they are being charged with something. So there are many people who have some kind of an association with either the individual or people associated with the individual. And that is what we are trying to do. We are trying to piece together everything.

Now, you must remember that the head of the Pakistani Taliban, Hakimullah Mehsud, came out with a statement only hours after this incident in Times Square in which he took responsibility. The Tehreek-e-Taliban has attacked many Pakistani targets, including -- and -- and killed many Pakistani soldiers. We have waged war against them and we are very successfully waging war against the extremists in Pakistan.

So it is in our interests to make sure that we can trace all elements and also not only deal with this particular case, but also make sure there are no future people going back to Pakistan and trying to train or associate with extremists against whom we are fighting.

BLITZER: Peter Bergen, our CNN terrorism analyst, said that claim of responsibility has some credibility to it.

Do you believe that specific group had a connection to Faisal Shahzad? HAQQANI: I -- as you know, I am an official of the government of Pakistan. So, first of all, all the dots have to be connected before I can say it with any certainty.

But let me just say that if he did, indeed, train and South Waziristan, the TTP, the Tehreek-e-Taliban in Pakistan is based in South Waziristan and the Pakistani military has successfully defeated them. There may be remnants there and he may have trained there before the Pakistani military flushed them out. But those are all pieces of speculation right now. We still need to piece together the evidence, which is what our intelligence services and law enforcement personnel are doing.

BLITZER: His wife and children, are they in Pakistan?

Have you been in touch, your government, with them?

HAQQANI: I'm not going to comment on the wife and children for the simple reason is that we want to protect their privacy. Look, most Pakistanis -- in fact, there are several hundred thousand of them -- they come to America essentially to pursue the American dream. This man wanted to shatter it. So we want to understand what happened, who was he connected to. And we do not want to embarrass his wife and children if they were not part of anything that he did.

BLITZER: You heard Reza Sayah, our correspondent in Islamabad, say his father is a retired ranking officer -- high ranking officer of the Pakistani Air Force.

Were you aware of that?

HAQQANI: That is something that we have heard on the media, but we are inquiring and investigating that. Faisal Shahzad is as common a name in Pakistan as John Smith in the United States. So it is perfectly possible that reporters could actually be pursuing a different Faisal Shahzad. All I'm saying is it's an investigation in which Pakistan still stand by the side of the United States. Pakistanis want to defeat terrorism as much as Americans do. This whole -- we are very lucky that this bomb didn't go off and that people were able to be vigilant about it. We want a similar level of vigilance on the side of Pakistan and we will show that vigilance, make sure that we defeat these people and do not let them succeed.

BLITZER: I -- I read today -- I don't know if you read it -- a very tough piece by Arnaud de Borchgrave, who is a well known foreign affairs columnist and editor-at-large of "The Washington Times." I'll read a sentence to you, because I want your reaction: "Pakistan is still producing an estimated 10,000 potential jihadis a year out of 500,000 graduates from Pakistan's 11,000 madrassas."

HAQQANI: Mr. De Borchgrave is a very prescient and -- sort of person with a lot of understanding of Pakistan. Pakistan is a nation of 180 million people, Wolf. And we have had a problem since the 1980s. In the last two years, the government and the people of Pakistan have started addressing the problem. It will take us some time to root it out. But the good news is that the United States and Pakistan are working together and doing this. We have defeated the terrorists in Swat. We fought them in Waziristan. We will fight them in other place and we will make sure that whatever the number and whatever the people who are infected by the virus of extremist ideology, that we can actually marginalize them to the point where they do not pose a threat either to ourselves, our society or to the rest of the world.

BLITZER: Well, good luck.

Everyone says the cooperation between the U.S. And Pakistan on the security intelligence level has improved dramatically, but they also say there's still a ways -- a ways to go to make sure it is complete.

HAQQANI: It's just the magnitude of the problem, Wolf. It's not a lack of intent or will on the part of Pakistan.

BLITZER: It's a great problem, indeed.

Thanks, Mr. Ambassador, for coming in.

HAQQANI: Always a pleasure being here.