New York, Oct 09: US federal prosecutors formally charged a Pakistani man on Friday with providing material support to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network, more than six months after his arrest in New York city. Uzair Paracha, a Pakistani national with permanent resident alien status in the United States, was charged in a five-count indictment with seeking to assist an al-Qaeda associate in entering the country.

Specifically, Paracha was accused of posing as the associate in order to obtain a travel document from the US Immigration Service. Paracha was arrested here at the end of march at the office of the import company where he worked.

"Today's indictment makes it clear that the Justice Department will investigate and prosecute with the same energy and determination those who provide material support to terrorists as the terrorist murderers they aid," said US Attorney General John Ashcroft. Paracha is due to be arraigned before US district Judge Sidney Stein on October 14.

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail on two of the counts, 15 years on two counts and 25 years on one count. Bureau Report