A Pakistani-American cabbie has pleaded guilty to charges of funnelling money to al-Qaeda commander Ilyas Kashmiri for terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
A Pakistani-American cabbie has pleaded guilty to charges of funnelling money to al-Qaeda commander Ilyas Kashmiri, who is now believed to have been killed, for terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir and faces up to 15 years in jail.
58-year-old Raja Lahrasib Khan, who was born and raised in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir before he migrated to the US in the 1970s, pleaded guilty to one count relating to material support to a foreign terrorist organisation.
Khan, who was arrested in March 2010, faces maximum 15 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for May 30.
After his arrest, he was charged with two counts of attempting to provide material support to terrorist leader Kashmiri but prosecutors dropped one of them under a plea deal.
His plea agreement calls for an agreed sentence of between five and eight years in prison, and requires Khan, who became a naturalised US citizen in 1988, to cooperate with the government in any matter in which he is called upon to assist through the termination of his sentence and any period of supervised release, the Justice Department said.
Khan admitted that he met Kashmiri, who was also involved in terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir, in Pakistan in the early to mid-2000s and again in 2008.
At the time of the second meeting, Khan knew or had reason to believe that Kashmiri was working with al-Qaeda, in addition to leading attacks against the Indian government in Kashmir, the Justice Department said.
During their 2008 meeting, Kashmiri told Khan that Osama bin Laden was alive, healthy and giving orders, and Khan gave Kashmiri approximately 20,000 Pakistani rupees (approximately USD 200 to USD 250), which he intended Kashmiri to use to support attacks against India.
The Justice Department said on November 23, 2009, Khan sent approximately 77,917 rupees (approximately USD 930) from Chicago to an individual in Pakistan, via Western Union, and then directed the individual by phone to give Kashmiri approximately 25,000 rupees (approximately USD 300).
Although Khan intended the funds to be used by Kashmiri to support attacks against India, he was also aware that Kashmiri was working with al-Qaeda, the Department said.
In February and March 2010, Khan participated in several meetings with an undercover law enforcement agent who posed as someone interested in sending money to Kashmiri to purchase weapons and ammunition, but only if Kashmiri was working with al-Qaeda, as well as sending individuals into Pakistan to receive military-style training so they could conduct attacks against US forces and interests, the Justice Department said.
On March 17, 2010, the undercover agent provided Khan with USD 1,000, which Khan agreed to give to Kashmiri.
Khan then gave the funds to his son, who was traveling from the US to Britain, intending to later retrieve the money from his son in Britain and subsequently provide it to Kashmiri, who is believed to have been killed in a US drone attack in June last year in Pakistan.
Further on March 23, 2010, Khan's son arrived at an airport in Britain and a search by British law enforcement officials yielded seven of the ten USD 100 bills that the undercover agent had provided to Khan.
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