25 Jun 2010

Prison terms for Americans in Pakistan

7:43 am on 25 June 2010

Five Americans have each been sentenced to 10 years in prison by a court in Pakistan after being found guilty of terrorism charges.

The five - aged between 19 and 25 - were convicted of conspiring to commit terrorist attacks on Pakistani soil and of funding banned jihadist groups.

They were arrested in the north-eastern city of Sargodha in December.

The BBC reports the case is one of several involving "home-grown" American Muslims linked to Pakistan. They were of Pakistani, Egyptian and Ethiopian descent.

None were known to law enforcement agencies before they disappeared in November from their homes in Alexandria, Virginia.

Afterwards, a farewell video message was found which prompted their families to contact US authorities.

Prosecutors said the men were intending to travel to Afghanistan to fight alongside the Taliban.