Five Americans sentenced to 10 years on terror charges in Pakistan
In proceedings held under heavy police patrolling, a Pakistani court today sentenced five American Muslim youths to 10 years in prison after convicting them on terror charges.
In proceedings held under heavy police patrolling, a Pakistani court today sentenced five American Muslim youths to 10 years in prison after convicting them on terror charges.The five Americans aged 19 to 25 from Washington DC were found guilty of two charges -- criminal conspiracy and funding terrorist groups -- but the judge acquitted them of three other charges.Authorities alleged they were planning to carry out terror attacks in Pakistan and to travel to Afghanistan to fight with militants against US and NATO forces.The investigators also claimed that the five youths had planned to travel to South Waziristan, a lawless territory which is a training ground for Taliban and al-Qaeda militants.
The five were arrested in the country in December after their families reported them missing and were on trial in a closed court in the eastern city of Sargodha since March.The accused Americans -- of Egyptian, Eritrean, Pakistani and Yemeni descent were each handed down concurrent sentences of 10 years and five years and fined Rs 70,000 each.
Judge Mian Anwar Nazir of the anti-terrorism court in Sargodha had closed proceedings yesterday and reserved his verdict till today.The judge today announced the conviction of the five youths under the provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code for conspiracy against the state and under the Anti-Terrorism Act for funding terrorist organisations.The judge sentenced the Americans Ramy Zamzam, 22, Waqar Hussain Khan, 22, Ahmed Abdullah Minni, 20, Iman HasanYemer, 17 and Omar Farooq, 24 to 10 years in prison andimposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on each for their conviction underthe Pakistan Penal Code.He sentenced the youths to another five years in prison and fined them another Rs 20,000 for their conviction under the Anti-Terrorism Act.Prosecutor Rana Bakhtiar said the authorities were not satisfied with the verdict as the accused should have been awarded life imprisonment.The prosecution will file an appeal in a higher court, he told reporters in Sargodha.The defence lawyers maintained the youth were innocent and that they would challenge the verdict in a higher court.
The judge said the youth could appeal against the verdict.The trial was conducted within Sargodha jail for security reasons. The prosecution produced the confessional statement of one of the accused, electronic evidence gleaned from computers and emails between the accused and their contact Qari Saifullah, believed to be an al Qaida operative.