Terror camps still running in Pakistan: US

Washington: A fresh chargesheet filed by
the US Department of Justice in a terror case shows that al-
Qaeda is still running terrorist training camps in Pakistan.
The Justice Department pointed to this while stating
that the plot to bomb New York's subway system, uncovered in
September 2009, was directed by senior al-Qaeda leadership in
Pakistan.
It also said the leadership plotted to use western
operatives to attack targets in Britain.
The eleven-page chargesheet, which was filed in a New
York federal court, said that five of the accused had received
training from al-Qaeda in Waziristan in 2008 and early 2009.
US prosecutors have accused al-Qaeda leadership of
directing the accused to attack the New York subway system
last year.
The Department of Justice unsealed charges against the
five alleged members of al-Qaeda, including Adnan Shukrijumah
whose name is on the FBI's list of most-wanted terrorists, for
plotting attacks on the US and UK.
The charges reveal that the plot against New York's
subway system uncovered in September 2009 involving Colorado
resident Najibullah Zazi was directed by senior al-Qaeda
leadership in Pakistan, and was also directly related to a
scheme by al-Qaeda plotters in Pakistan to use Western
operatives to attack a target in the United Kingdom.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner, however, said
the US has received "significant counter-terrorism
co-operation" from Pakistan.
The superseding indictment, which was returned and
unsealed yesterday in the Eastern District of New York,
charges the five defendants each with several terrorism
violations.
David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National
Security, said these charges underscore the global nature of
the terrorist threat.
"They further reflect the effectiveness of mutual
investigations and cooperation with our global partners in
disrupting terrorism threats," he said.
Sean Joyce, Executive Assistant Director of the FBI's
National Security Branch, said: "The threat posed by
terrorists around the world is a threat to security and a
threat to the rule of law."
The transnational nature of the conspiracy, and its
connection to plots targeted outside the US underscores the
importance of international coordination and collaboration to
do everything to ensure public safety, the official said.
Apart from Shukrijumah, who is also known as "Hamad",
other defendants are Adis Medunjanin alias "Mohammad;" Abid
Naseer; Tariq Ur Rehman; and a fifth defendant known as
"Ahmad," "Sohaib" or "Zahid."
Each of the defendants faces a maximum sentence of
life in prison if convicted.
According to the indictment, court filings and plea
proceedings in the case, the plot involving Zazi was organised
by Saleh al-Somali, Rashid Rauf, and El Shukrijumah, who were
then-leaders of al-Qaeda's "external operations" program
dedicated to terrorist attacks in the United States and other
Western countries.