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US deports Pakistani militant
 A member of a terrorist group linked to Al Qaeda has been deported to Pakistan after being detained for over a year, US investigators said on Friday. Pakistani native Khamal Muhammad told authorities he was an armed guard and cook for Harakatul Mujahideen designated by the State Department as a terrorist organisation associated with Al Qaeda. Muhammad, 23, was living in the San Francisco area when he was arrested in January 2004 for overstaying his visa by eight months, according to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an arm of the Homeland Security Department. He entered the United States in 2001, a year after ICE officials said he trained to use pistols, rifles and grenades in a Harakatul Mujahidin camp in Afghanistan. The leader of Harakatul Mujahideen is believed to be a close ally to Osama Bin Laden, ICE officials said. The Justice Department did not pursue criminal charges against Muhammad. "Knowledge or connection to a terrorist activity may not be sufficient to prove a terrorism crime," said Justice spokesman Kevin Madden. "Sometimes the best alternative from a national security standpoint is to pursue other disruption efforts, including removal from the US." Posted by: Fred 2005-05-29 |
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