US man jailed over 2009 ISI attack

Khan pleads guilty in a US court to providing material support to terrorists


Afp June 20, 2015
Khan pleads guilty in a US court to providing material support to terrorists. PHOTO: THE FRONTIER POST

LOS ANGELES: A US man who gave money to a suicide bomber who attacked a headquarters of Pakistan's intelligence service was sentenced to more than seven years in prison Friday, prosecutors

Riaz Qadir Khan, 51, a naturalized US citizen living in Portland, Oregon had previously pleaded guilty in a US court to providing material support to terrorists.

Khan admitted arranging for the delivery of approximately $2,450 to Maldivian Ali Jaleel, one of the suicide bombers responsible for the May 27, 2009 attack which killed 30 people and injured 300 more in Lahore.

Read: Pakistani man sentenced to life in US prison for orchestrating 'honour killings'

Khan also admitted to providing advice and financial assistance to Jaleel's wives after the bombing, "while knowing that providing such assistance would hinder and prevent the apprehension of Jaleel's wives and others who may have helped in the attack," prosecutors said.

"With today's sentence, the court held the defendant accountable and made it clear that no community should be subjected to the dangers posed by those seeking to assist violent extremists whether here or abroad," said Acting US Attorney Billy Williams.

COMMENTS (7)

Imran Haider | 8 years ago | Reply I think that is fair. Given that the Pakistanis dont have an extradition treaty with the US, 7 years and maybe handed over to the Pakistani authorities for questioning. This man could not have provided material support knowingly he had too much to loose
curious2 | 8 years ago | Reply I am familiar with this trial. The defendant had a nice paying job working for the City of Portland - that means a great pension, medical program, and a job for life. He sent money to a childhood friend and has consistently taken the position that he was unaware that the money would be used to blow up ISI HQ ... however he provided help to his friends wife after his friend was implicated in the bombing and that certainly wouldn't look good to a jury. . The prosecutor was faced with a question of whether he could bootstrap the help for his spouse and convince a jury that he defendant knew his friend was a terrorist when he sent him the money. The prosecutor elected to make a "plea deal" and negotiated 7 years vs the 15 years which the crime would normally warrant. . Some argue that his sentence was too short ... but their was a legitimate question on whether the prosecutor would prevail in convincing a jury that defendant knew his friend was a terrorist. I suppose 7 years is better than none ... also this guy lost a great job, pension etc and likely won't find employment in the future and will be closely watched by FBI for the rest of his life.
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