NYC terror plot case: IHC bars Talha Haroon's extradition to US

Justice Kiani says citizen cannot be extradited solely on the basis of postal correspondence

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday barred the government from handing over of an American citizen of Pakistani origin to the United States. Talha Haroon is accused of involvement in planning an attack in New York City.

Haroon, 19, was arrested in Pakistan in 2016 after US authorities identified him as one of three men, along with a Canadian citizen and a man from the Philippines, planning attacks on Manhattan’s Times Square and the city’s subway.



Justice Mohsin Akhter Kiani announced the verdict on a petition filed by Muhammad Haroon, father of the accused, challenging the district administration’s decision to extradite his son Talha to the US.

Justice Kiani observed that a citizen could not be extradited solely on the basis of postal correspondence between Islamabad and Washington.

The high court said the investigation officer probing the matter in the US and Haroon's lawyer should appear before an inquiry magistrate. The inquiry magistrate has been directed to decide the case within 60 days.