Five N.Va. men could face terrorism charges in Pakistan

Americans in Pakistan Face More Questions - Zahid Hussain, Wall Street Journal. A court Friday gave police 10 more days to interrogate five detained Americans on suspicion they were planning attacks on military installations in Pakistan. Police officials said the men - all from the Washington, D.C., area - might have targeted a Pakistani airbase. The Americans were shackled and under tight security for their appearance before a magistrate in Sargodha in eastern Pakistan. Usman Anwar, the police chief, said investigators told the court they needed more time to question the men and to establish criminal charges. Mr. Anwar said the men had maps of the Sargodha airbase, as well as information about a nearby water reservoir, which raised suspicion they were planning a terror attack. The men had rented a house near the airbase. He said the police wanted to determine any connections between the men and Pakistani militant groups. The Americans are suspected of offering to help carry out terrorist attacks. The five men could be charged under Pakistan's anti-terrorism laws, another police official said. The men have been interrogated by a Pakistani joint investigation team and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. A Lahore High Court last week ordered authorities not to deport them to the U.S. without its consent. Terrorism charges filed in Pakistan courts would hamper extradition efforts by the U.S., and any conviction would result in prison sentences here.