[Al Arabiya Latest] Five Americans accused of contacting militants over the Internet and planning terrorist attacks told a court on Tuesday they were tortured by the FBI and Pakistani police attempting to frame them."They also said they were given electric shocks," their lawyer, Tariq Asad, told reporters.
Asad quoted the detainees as alleging that they were threatened with having their passports destroyed and "being stabbed in the chest" if they reported their alleged mistreatment to the media.
The case of the Americans, in their 20s and from Virginia, has underscored global security dangers posed by the Internet as militants use cyberspace to evade tighter international security measures and wage holy war.
Pakistan is struggling to contain Taliban insurgents who have carried out waves of suicide bombings at crowded markets, police and military facilities and mosques.
Pakistani officials say the men planned to travel to Afghanistan to fight with the Taliban against U.S. troops. The men have denied links to al-Qaeda and said they wanted to go to Afghanistan for charity work.
They face life imprisonment if put on trial and found guilty. A Pakistani court has barred their deportation to the United States.