A Pakistani court on Thursday sentenced five Americans accused of contacting militants in Pakistan over the Internet and plotting terrorist attacks to 15 years each in prison, court officials said.
A special anti-terrorism court in Sardodha, sentenced the five Americans in their 20s, who were detained in December Sargodha after their families reported them missing.
The men — believed to be students — have been identified as Ramy Zamzam of Egyptian descent, Waqar Khan and Umar Farooq of Pakistani descent, and Aman Hassan Yemer and Ahmed Minni of Ethiopian descent. Deputy prosecutor Rana Bakhtiar said the men were convicted on two counts each, with one carrying a 10-year sentence and the other carrying five years, to be served concurrently. They were also fined a total of Rs 70,000.
“Both these sentences will begin concurrently and in practice they will spend 10 years in jail. We will appeal in the high court to enhance the sentence,” Mr Bakhtiar told reporters.
The five men told the court earlier that they only wanted to provide fellow Muslim brothers in Afghanistan with medicine and financial help, and accused the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pakistani police of torturing them and trying to frame them.
Prosecutors said they presented evidence such as email records and witness statements backing up their contention the men were plotting terror attacks in Pakistan.
The police deployed extra patrols and barriers around a local court ahead of verdict in the trial.
The road in front of the court building was blocked off, while police vehicles swarmed the scene.