December 10, 2009
AP
ISLAMABAD — Five Americans arrested at a house linked to a militant group in eastern Pakistan have told investigators they came to the country to take part in "jihad" or holy war, police said Thursday.
Photo: Ramy Zamzam
U.S. officials believe the five are men who were reported missing more than a week ago by their families in the Washington, D.C., area. The families asked the FBI for help after finding a farewell video left by the men showing scenes of war and casualties and saying Muslims must be defended.
The men, ages 19 to 25, were picked up Wednesday at a house in the city of Sargodha that has been linked to the banned militant organization Jaish-e-Mohammed, officers said. Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based group, is alleged to have ties to Al Qaeda.
Police chief Javed Islam said authorities had shared findings of their probe with FBI officials who had arrived in Sargodha. The U.S. Embassy, however, would not confirm if the FBI had sent representatives to the area.
"These young Americans are in our custody," the police chief said. "They are telling us that they came to Pakistan for jihad."
Islam said investigators were trying to determine if the men had established contacts with any militants.
Pakistan is home to a slew of militant groups waging a violent struggle against the government, mostly in the northwest, and is also seen as a global hub for Al Qaeda. Some Western nations are worried that citizens — especially of Pakistani origin — are traveling to the country to connect with Al Qaeda or take part in training or indoctrination sessions.
Three of the arrested Americans are of Pakistani descent, one is of Egyptian descent and the other has Yemeni origins, police officer Tahir Gujjar said.
Two other police officials said Thursday the men were cooperating with investigators after first giving conflicting statements. Investigators seized a laptop computer along with extremist literature from the house.
The house was believed to have been used by Jaish-e-Mohammed, the officers said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.
Members of the network have been accused in the killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002, and in a bombing in the city of Karachi the same year that killed 11 French engineers.
A senior government official who also spoke on condition of anonymity said authorities detained some Pakistanis alleged to have helped the Americans.
Islam said the arrested Americans had spent the past few days in Sargodha, 125 miles south of the capital, Islamabad.
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