ISLAMABAD : Pakistani police are pursuing terrorism charges against five detained American men, a move that could complicate efforts to bring the men back to the United States where they could also land in the courts.
The case has bolstered fears that Americans and other Westerners are heading to Pakistan to link up with Al Qaeda and other militant groups, and it could test a US-Pakistani relationship already made brittle by demands of the war in neighboring Afghanistan , Fox news reported.
The young Muslim men, who are from the Washington , DC , area have not yet been formally charged with any crime.
However, police are now alleging that the men were collecting and attempting to collect material to carry out terrorist activities in the list of recommended charges to be presented to a court.
Those charges fall under sections of Pakistan 's anti-terrorism law, and the punishments range from seven years to life in prison, a police official .The FBI is also looking into what potential charges they could face in the U.S. Possibilities include conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist group.
The US Embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire declined to comment on the potential charges and would not say what efforts Washington was making to bring the men back. Snelsire did confirm that American diplomats have paid at least two consular visits to the
The five were arrested in Sargodha earlier this month, but are being held in Lahore , the provincial capital. INP
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