|
ISLAMABAD – A Pakistani anti-terrorism court on Saturday acquitted four menwho had been charged with helping a Pakistani-American man carryout a failed attempt to detonate a truck bomb in New York's TimeSquare, said their lawyer and family members. The four were arrested in the wake of Faisal Shahzad's May 2010attack, which fizzled when the explosives in his vehicle producedsmoke but no blast. Shahzad has pleaded guilty and admitted togetting training from the Pakistani Taliban in the country's tribalregion along the Afghan border. He was sentenced to life in prisonin the U.S. The attempted attack increased tension between Pakistan and theUnited States, which has long accused Islamabad of not doing enoughto crack down on militants on its soil who pose a threat to theWest. Even though the men acquitted Saturday had been in custody for twoyears, very few details had emerged about their closed-door trialin an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi, next to the capitalIslamabad. Such trials rarely produce convictions in Pakistan because policeoften lack basic investigative skills, prosecutors lack training interror cases and judges and witnesses are often subject tointimidation. One of the men released Saturday, Muhammad Shoaib Mughal, had beencharged with providing Shahzad with financial assistance, said hislawyer, Malik Imran Safdar. The other three men, Humbal Akhtar,Muhammad Shahid Husain and Faisal Abbasi were charged as Mughal'saccomplices, said Safdar. Following their arrests, several of the men were also accused ofhelping Shahzad link up with militants in the tribal region. Butthose accusations do not seem to have resulted in any charges. Akhtar's father said he was ecstatic at his son's release. "I have suffered a lot during these two tough years," said MuhammedAkhtar. "Finally I got justice." Two other men arrested by Pakistan in the wake of the attemptedTimes Square attack were previously released. It's unclear ifPakistan has any other suspects in custody. Human rights groups have long criticized Pakistani securityofficials for holding suspects for months, even years, withoutfiling charges or divulging any information about their cases. Most of the men acquitted Saturday come from the same stock asShahzad — wealthy, urban, educated and with careers incomputers, telecommunications and graphic design. Mughal wasrunning a large computer dealership in Islamabad before hisdetention. One of the things that Shahzad said motivated him to carry out hisattack was U.S. drone strikes targeting militants in Pakistan'stribal region. The strikes are very unpopular in Pakistan becausemany citizens believe they mostly kill innocent people, anallegation disputed by the U.S. The strikes have continued to cause tension between the U.S. andPakistani governments, but American officials have made it clearthat they have no intention of stopping the attacks, which they seeas vital to fighting al-Qaida and the Taliban. The latest strike occurred Saturday when a drone fired two missilesat a motorbike in Dogh village in the South Waziristan tribal area,killing two suspected militants, said Pakistani intelligenceofficials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were notauthorized to talk to the media. It was the fifth such strike inthe country in less than two weeks. __ Associated Press writers Ishtiaq Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan andRebecca Santana in Islamabad contributed to this report. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Single Shaft Shredder Manufacturer , Plastic Crushing Machine, and more. For more , please visit Scrap Cable Recycling Machine today!
Related Articles -
Single Shaft Shredder Manufacturer, Plastic Crushing Machine,
|
