Chicago: Pakistani-origin cab driver Raja
Khan, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of providing
material support and resources to al-Qaeda, is scheduled to
appear in a court here on Thursday for a hearing in the case.
A "discovery hearing" has been set for Khan in the US
District Court, Northern District of Illinois before US Judge
James Zagel on May 6, according to information on the court`s
website.
Khan, 56, had last month pleaded not guilty to charges
of providing material support and resources to al-Qaeda.
He is also accused of having links with HuJI chief
Ilyas Kashmiri, who along with Let operative David Coleman
Headley and Tahawwur Rana, has been charged with plotting
terror attacks in India and Denmark.
Khan`s lawyer Thomas Durkin has disputed the claim
that his client was trying to aid al-Qaeda and said Khan "is a
supporter of Kashmiri independence".
Since his March arrest, Khan has been in custody at
the Metropolitan Correctional Centre, the same federal lock up
in the city`s downtown that houses Headley and Rana.
Khan is being held without bond.
According to the complaint against him, he discussed
attacking a stadium in the US with an undercover agent whom he
also told that he has known al-Qaeda operative Kashmiri for 15
years and has sent money to him to purchase weapons.
PTI
