SARGODHA, Pakistan, Mar 17 (AFP): A Pakistani court Wednesday charged five Americans with funnelling money to outlaws and plotting a terror attack that could see them jailed for life if found guilty, lawyers said.
The five men aged 18 to 25 denied the seven charges read out by Judge Anwar Nazeer in an anti-terrorism court convened under tight security at the district jail of the eastern city of Sargodha, where they were arrested in December.
"Charges have been laid against all the accused. All these charges are terrorism-related. The offences are punishable by life imprisonment," defence lawyer Shahid Kamal told reporters.
"A total of seven charges have been laid against them. They include funding a banned or proscribed organisation and helping out a banned organisation," defence lawyer Hasan Dastagir told AFP outside the prison.
"One of the charges is conspiring to carry out a terrorist attack within Pakistan or an allied country," he added.
Prosecutors and police had long called for the five men to be charged with plotting militant attacks in Pakistan and attempting to commit an act of terror against countries that are at peace with Pakistan.
Although those countries have not been named, Pakistani officials have said the young men planned to travel to neighbouring Afghanistan and join up with Taliban-led militants fighting US and NATO troops.
The five men professed their innocence Wednesday, lawyers told reporters who were banned from attending the closed-doors hearing.
"The judge asked if they accept the charges. All the accused unanimously rejected them. They said 'we totally deny the charges'," Dastagir said.
Pakistan court indicts five Americans with terrorism
FE Team | Published: March 18, 2010 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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