Pakistan will bring terrorism charges against three men alleged to have helped the failed Times Square bomber meet up with militant leaders close to the Afghan border and sent him money to carry out the attack, a senior police officer said today.
The three have been held since soon after the May 1st attempted car bombing, but the announcement marks the first time the Pakistani authorities have formally acknowledged their arrest. They had previously been picked up by the country's secretive intelligence agencies.
The three to be charged were identified as Shoaib Mughal, Shahid Hussain and Humbal Akhtar. All three are educated, relatively wealthy Pakistanis.
An intelligence officer said an unspecified number of other suspects were still under investigation, but confirmed that two people previously held had been released. He identified one of those as Salman Ashraf, the co-owner of a catering company the US embassy accused of having terrorist ties. The officer spoke on customary condition of anonymity.
Islamabad police deputy inspector General Bin Yamin said Mughal, Hussain and Akhtar would soon be charged in court with terrorism offences.
He did not give specifics, but terrorism crimes can be punished by death in Pakistan. It was unclear if the men had been appointed lawyers yet. Terrorism trials in Pakistan are always behind closed doors and often last for many months, if not years.
AP