US judge mulls travel request in terror case
A US federal judge will determine whether defence attorneys for two imams accused of helping terrorists can travel to Pakistan to question witnesses, the United Press International (UPI) reported.
During a hearing on Monday, prosecutors said they objected to such travel “under any circumstances” before the trial begins in January, the news agency quoted The Miami Herald as saying.
“That’s just unacceptable to the government,” Assistant US Attorney Pat Sullivan told US District Judge Robert Scola. Scola already ruled it would be unsafe and not practical to take depositions of five defence witnesses at the US Embassy in Islamabad with both sides present. But the federal judge left hanging the possibility of allowing defence lawyers to conduct live video depositions in Pakistan with the prosecutors participating in Miami.
In a May 2011 indictment, prosecutors charged Hafiz Khan, 77, an imam of the Flagler Mosque in Miami; and others with conspiring to make available financial support for the Taliban from 2008 to 2010.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 31st, 2012.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ