Sargodha:
Five Americans who were convicted on terror charges by a Pakistani court have been sentenced to 10 years in prison in a case that 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, D.C. area was sensitive for the US, which has a duty to insure justice for its citizens at the same time, pushed Pakistan to crack down on militancy.
The men were arrested in Pakistan in December after their families reported them missing. Prosecutors said, e-mail records and witness statements proved they were plotting terror attacks in Pakistan and conspired to wage war against nations allied with it. There was also reference to Afghanistan, where the men were alleged to have been traveling.
The judge handed down two prison terms for each man, one for 10 years and the other for five and the terms were to be served concurrently.
The men said nothing when the verdict was read out, Deputy Prosecutor Rana Bakhtiar said.
Surprisingly, 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 observers 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 United States showing scenes of war and casualties and saying Muslims must be defended.
An attorney for the men said that they would appeal the ruling to the Lahore High Court."It was not a fit case for conviction," defense lawyer Hassan Dastghir said. "I am confident that we will win the case at appeals level."
American officials have said little in public about the trial, on Thursday, the embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire said that, the U.S. respects the decision of the Pakistani courts.
Washington is trying to counter anti-American sentiment in Pakistan's government, security forces and media, as it pushes Islamabad to flush out the Taliban, al-Qaida and other militant networks who use its territory.
The men were arrested in Pakistan in December after their families reported them missing. Prosecutors said, e-mail records and witness statements proved they were plotting terror attacks in Pakistan and conspired to wage war against nations allied with it. There was also reference to Afghanistan, where the men were alleged to have been traveling.
The judge handed down two prison terms for each man, one for 10 years and the other for five and the terms were to be served concurrently.
The men said nothing when the verdict was read out, Deputy Prosecutor Rana Bakhtiar said.
Surprisingly, 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 observers 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 United States showing scenes of war and casualties and saying Muslims must be defended.
An attorney for the men said that they would appeal the ruling to the Lahore High Court."It was not a fit case for conviction," defense lawyer Hassan Dastghir said. "I am confident that we will win the case at appeals level."
American officials have said little in public about the trial, on Thursday, the embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire said that, the U.S. respects the decision of the Pakistani courts.
Washington is trying to counter anti-American sentiment in Pakistan's government, security forces and media, as it pushes Islamabad to flush out the Taliban, al-Qaida and other militant networks who use its territory.
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