Pakistan to seek terror charges against Americans

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani police said Thursday they plan to ask a court to charge five Americans arrested in early December with terrorism, and will seek life sentences against them.

The young Muslim men, who are from the Washington D.C. area, were captured in the eastern Pakistan city of Sargodha in a case that has spurred fears that Westerners are traveling to Pakistan to join militant groups.

Tahir Gujar, a senior police investigator in Sargodha, said police had almost concluded their investigation and that the men would appear in an anti-terrorist court in the city on Jan. 4.

“We are certain that these five Americans wanted to carry out attacks in Pakistan, and we will seek life imprisonment for them,” he said.

Under Pakistan’s complicated judicial system, the police will recommend the charges during the court appearance on Monday. However, the court might not charge the men immediately, and the five will likely be given time to prepare their defense after they have seen the charges.

Gujar didn’t say what police believe the men intended to target.