Pakistani court sentences five Americans on terror charges
Source: Agencies |
June 25, 2010, Friday
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FIVE American men were convicted yesterday on terror charges by a Pakistani court and sentenced to 10 years in prison in a case that has heightened concerns about Westerners traveling to Pakistan to contact al-Qaida and other Islamist extremist groups.
The trial of the young Muslim men from the Washington, DC, area was sensitive for the United States, which has a duty to ensure justice for its citizens abroad but also has pushed Pakistan to crack down on militancy.
Prosecutors said e-mail records and witness statements proved they used the Internet to plot terror attacks in Pakistan and nations allied with it. The father of one of the men said they were in Pakistan to attend his son's wedding, but had intended to cross into Afghanistan for humanitarian work.
The judge handed down two prison terms for each man, one for 10 years on a criminal conspiracy charge, and the other for five years on the charge of funding banned organizations for terrorism. The men, all in their 20s, had faced up to life in prison. They were acquitted of three charges, including planning to wage war against the US and Afghanistan.
The men said nothing when the verdict was read out, Deputy Prosecutor Rana Bakhtiar said. Previously, the men claimed they were tortured by Pakistani police and FBI agents, charges denied by authorities in Pakistan and the US. Their lawyers said they would appeal the case.
The trial moved with unusual speed in a country where cases often drag out for years and where terror convictions are rare and often overturned on appeal. The trial was closed to journalists and was heard by a single judge in a special anti-terrorism court.
The men have been identified as Ramy Zamzam of Egyptian descent, Waqar Khan and Umar Farooq of Pakistani descent, and Aman Hassan Yemer and Ahmed Minni of Ethiopian descent. One allegedly left behind a farewell video in the US showing scenes of war and casualties and saying Muslims must be defended.
Umar Farooq's father, Khalid Farooq, called the verdict "a great disappointment" and insisted the men had not planned to fight in Afghanistan, but had wanted to do humanitarian work such as helping orphans. The men also wanted to see Umar get married in Sargodha, the father said.
The men were arrested at Farooq's home in Sargodha after he said he told them to avoid Afghanistan. Khalid Farooq, an American of Pakistani descent who also has a home and business in Alexandria, Virginia, was held for 20 days.
US officials have said little in public about the trial, and yesterday, embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire said only that the US respects the decision.
The trial of the young Muslim men from the Washington, DC, area was sensitive for the United States, which has a duty to ensure justice for its citizens abroad but also has pushed Pakistan to crack down on militancy.
Prosecutors said e-mail records and witness statements proved they used the Internet to plot terror attacks in Pakistan and nations allied with it. The father of one of the men said they were in Pakistan to attend his son's wedding, but had intended to cross into Afghanistan for humanitarian work.
The judge handed down two prison terms for each man, one for 10 years on a criminal conspiracy charge, and the other for five years on the charge of funding banned organizations for terrorism. The men, all in their 20s, had faced up to life in prison. They were acquitted of three charges, including planning to wage war against the US and Afghanistan.
The men said nothing when the verdict was read out, Deputy Prosecutor Rana Bakhtiar said. Previously, the men claimed they were tortured by Pakistani police and FBI agents, charges denied by authorities in Pakistan and the US. Their lawyers said they would appeal the case.
The trial moved with unusual speed in a country where cases often drag out for years and where terror convictions are rare and often overturned on appeal. The trial was closed to journalists and was heard by a single judge in a special anti-terrorism court.
The men have been identified as Ramy Zamzam of Egyptian descent, Waqar Khan and Umar Farooq of Pakistani descent, and Aman Hassan Yemer and Ahmed Minni of Ethiopian descent. One allegedly left behind a farewell video in the US showing scenes of war and casualties and saying Muslims must be defended.
Umar Farooq's father, Khalid Farooq, called the verdict "a great disappointment" and insisted the men had not planned to fight in Afghanistan, but had wanted to do humanitarian work such as helping orphans. The men also wanted to see Umar get married in Sargodha, the father said.
The men were arrested at Farooq's home in Sargodha after he said he told them to avoid Afghanistan. Khalid Farooq, an American of Pakistani descent who also has a home and business in Alexandria, Virginia, was held for 20 days.
US officials have said little in public about the trial, and yesterday, embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire said only that the US respects the decision.
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