Five US Students Arrested in Pakistan on terrorism charges

Five Muslim American young men from Virginia were arrested in Sarghoda, Pakistan on terrorism charges.  The five men, aged 19-25, were American citizens who had traveled to Pakistan, apparently in an attempt to join Al-Qaeda.  They were arrested by the FBI on December 5th after failing to join any radical groups fighting for the jihadi cause.

The identities of the five young men are Ramy Zamzam, 22, "ringleader", a dental student of Egyptian background at Howard University; Umar Farooq, 25; Ahmed Abdullah Minni, 20, born in Eritrea; Aman Hassan Yemer, 18, native of Ethiopia; and Waqar Khan.  They had bonded in America in the name of the jihadi cause while watching Youtube videos that showed attacks by the Taliban on the allied troops.  They planned to come to Pakistan to join these radical groups to help fight the cause.

They landed in Karachi, Pakistan on November 20 where they settled into the home of Umar Farooq's uncle.  On their visa application, all five men mentioned that they were going to a wedding in Karachi.  One of the men, Wagar Khan, brought $25,000 for the trip.

The five men managed to meet with the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) radical group, as well as Jamat-ud-Dawa, the charitable wing of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group.  However, their Western demeanor and lack of ability to speak the national language prevented them from joining either group.

They then travelled to Sarghoda, where they were eventually arrested, because Sarghoda carries a reputation as being a hotbed for anti-India militant groups.  The five men were en route to North Waziristan, a stronghold of Al Qaeda and the Taliban, before being arrested by the FBI in Sarghoda.

They have not yet been charged by Pakistan law officials, while it is unclear what charges will be brought against them in America.  Two of the men who were not born in the United States could face deportation from the United States.