Asia-Pacific

5 US terror suspects get 10 years in prison in Pakistan

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-06-24 16:59

Security officials stand guard outside the Sargodha jail in Punjab province on June 24, 2010. Five American students were on Thursday sentenced to 10 years in jail for contacting militants online and plotting attacks by a court in Pakistan. [Agencies]

ISLAMABAD - Five American terror suspects were sentenced to 10 years in prison each by a Pakistani court on Thursday, local sources said.

An anti-terror court sentenced the five US citizens arrested under terror charges imprisonment of 10 years each. They were arrested in December 2009 in east Pakistan's Sargodha.

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The US and Pakistani intelligence officials questioned the arrested, local TV channel Express reported. They were believed to plan to travel to Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal area for training.

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.

Prosecutors said they have presented evidence such as e-mail records and witness statements backing up their contention the men were plotting terror attacks in Pakistan.

Police deployed extra patrols and barriers around the local court ahead of verdict in the trial in Sargodha. The road in front of the court building was blocked off, while police vehicles swarmed the scene, according to the private TV ARY News.