SARGODHA: An Anti Terrorism Court in Sargodha on Thursday sentenced five Americans accused of contacting militants in Pakistan over the Internet and plotting terrorist attacks to 10 years each in prison, Pakistani media reported on Thursday. “Each of them have been sentenced to 10 years in jail on terrorism charges,” Nadeem Akram Cheema told AFP in a hurried telephone call as he left the court following the verdict.
“The judge also fined them. I will let you know other details,” he said.
Police deployed extra patrols and barriers around a Pakistani court ahead of the verdict in the trial of the five Americans.
The five young Muslims from the Washington, DC area, were arrested in Pakistan in December after their families reported them missing. The case is one of several involving alleged ”homegrown” American militants linked to Pakistan, but the only one being tried in a Pakistani court.
On Thursday morning, the road in front of the court building in the Punjab province town of Sargodha was blocked off, while police vehicles swarmed the scene. The trial was off limits to journalists and observers and was heard by a single judge in a special anti-terrorism court.
US officials have said little about the trial. Washington is trying to counter anti-American sentiment in Pakistan’s government, security forces and media, but is also pressing Islamabad to crack down hard on militancy.
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.
Prosecutors say they have presented evidence such as e-mail records and witness statements backing up their contention the men were plotting terror attacks in Pakistan and conspired to wage war against nations allied with it, a reference to Afghanistan, where the men were alleged to have been traveling.
Source: DAWN