Six Pakistan-born people charged in Florida with aiding Taliban

Miami - Six people of Pakistani origin, including three US citizenship owners, have been charged in South Florida with assisting in provision of financial aid to Taliban.

According to Sun Sentinel, three Pakistani-Americans based in South Florida were charged on Saturday with assisting in funneling money to Taliban operating in Pakistan. The three include a senior imam (Muslim cleric) named Hafiz Muhammed Sher Ali Khan, 76, and his two sons, named Irfan Khan, 37, and Izhar Khan, 24; the latter also being an imam. The three were arrested by FBI agents and the announcement of the arrest and charges pressed on them was made through a release issued from the U.S. Attorney's Office. Also charged were three other Pakistanis who are based in Pakistan, as reported by the United Press International. These include two men named Ali Rehman and Alam Zeb, and a woman named Amina Khan, who is Hafiz Khan's daughter and Alam Zeb’s mother. According to Attorney Wifredo Ferrer, the three arrested in US sent money to Pakistan, helping Taliban in buying weapons. The attorney’s office clarified beforehand that the defendants have been arrested because of their support for terrorism and not on the basis of their religious beliefs. The Long War Journal quoted John Gillies, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Miami Office, saying that Muslims and Arab-Americans must not be judged by the illegal activities of a few. If convicted, each of the accused can be imprisoned for up to 15 years.