A Pakistani court today remanded five American Muslim youths arrested for alleged terror links to judicial custody till January 18 and police said they were expected to be formally indicted at the next hearing.
The five youths, Waqar Hussain Khan, 22, Ahmed Abdullah Minni, 20, Ramy Zamzam, 22, Iman Hassan Yemer, 17 and Omar Farooq, 24, were presented in the court in the eastern city of Sargodha amidst tight security.
The court directed authorities to free Omar Farooq's father Khalid Farooq, who was arrested with the youths, as police had filed no charges against him, Sargodha police chief Usman Anwar said.
The youths are expected to be formally charged at the next hearing on January 18, Anwar said.
Police have booked the youths under the Anti-Terrorism Act and Pakistan Penal Code for hatching a criminal conspiracy against the state and plotting terrorist attacks in the country and abroad.
They could face life imprisonment if they are convicted. The youths were arrested in Sargodha last month after they contacted the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Jamaat-ud-Dawah as part of efforts to join Al Qaida-linked groups that are fighting US and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
The youths were also questioned by the FBI.
The Lahore High Court ruled last month that the five suspects cannot be deported tor handed over to any foreign agency without its permission.
