Sargodha: A prosecutor says a Pakistani court has convicted five Americans on terror charges and sentenced each to at least 10 years in prison.
Rana Bakhtiar made the announcement on Thursday in the Punjab town of Sargodha. He says the men have the right to appeal.
The five young Muslims from the Washington, DC area, were arrested in Pakistan in December after their families reported them missing.
The case is one of several involving alleged "homegrown" American militants linked to Pakistan, but the only one being tried in a Pakistani court.
The defence attorneys could not immediately be reached for comment.
The men 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. One allegedly left behind a farewell video in the United States showing scenes of war and casualties and saying Muslims must be defended.
Prosecutors had presented evidence such as e-mail records and witness statements backing up their contention the men were plotting terror attacks in Pakistan and conspired to wage war against nations allied with it, a reference to Afghanistan, where the men were alleged to have been travelling.
Bureau Report
