The defendant in the Times Square bomb plot pleaded guilty on Monday for his role in the aborted attack, an abrupt and expedited end to a terror plot that extended into Pakistan and an Islamic militant group there.

The defendant, Faisal Shahzad, 30, listened as each count of the 10-count indictment was read to him, and then indicated that he understood the charges and the penalties that he faced.

“I want to plead guilty 100 times over,” said Mr. Shahzad, who faces life in prison.

Mr. Shahzad described his training in Pakistan, where he said he went specifically to learn from the Pakistani Taliban how to build a bomb that he planned to detonate in the United States.

His guilty plea was consistent with his behavior since his arrest on May 3, when he began cooperating with federal authorities for more than two weeks without counsel and waiving his Miranda rights. The only question would be whether Mr. Shahzad would be seeking some sort of leniency in sentencing in return for his assistance, something his lawyers may be seeking.