Pak: Bail plea of 5 American Muslims rejected

A Pakistani court on Wednesday, rejected the bail plea of five American Muslims facing trial for planning terror attacks in the country and neighbouring Afghanistan.

Ramy Zamzam, Waqar Hussain Khan, Ahmed Abdullah Minni, Iman Hasan Yemer and Omar Farooq were arrested at Sargodha in Punjab province in December 2009.

A panel of defence lawyers asked the anti-terrorism court in Sargodha to grant the five youths bail as they were "innocent and had not committed any crime". "All charges framed against the five boys are based on assumptions," said Tariq Asad, the lawyer who led the panel, but the court rejected their bail plea.

The Police had submitted a chargesheet that accused the youth of violating several sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act and Pakistan Penal Code by allegedly hatching a criminal conspiracy against the state and plotting terror attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The trial is yet to begin.

Khalid Khwaja, a former intelligence official who is spearheading efforts to defend the Americans, told PTI that he would now approach the Lahore High Court to seek bail for them. He said that despite a court order, the Americans were not being provided medical treatment and reading material like newspapers and books.