NEW YORK: A Pakistan-born American citizen is back in New York from Britain to face charges of sending unspecified sums of money and military equipment to Al Qaeda to fight US forces in Afghanistan.

Syed Hashmi Hashmi, 27, who was arrested at London's Heathrow Airport on June 6, 2006, and had been fighting extradition in British courts, became the first terror suspected to be extradited from Britain to US. He was alleged to have gone to Britain to join known terror groups.

He faces a prison term of 50 years if convicted on all counts.

Hashmi had lived in Britain for three years before he was arrested while carrying money to a flight bound for Pakistan.

The New York Daily news quoted people close to Hashmi as saying that his transformation from a diligent student to an Islamic extremist happened in the late 1990s.

He had travelled to London during this period and saw a cousin arrested at a political rally, they said, adding that it had profound effect on him.

His friends were quoted by Daily News as saying on return to the United States, he joined Al-Muhajiroun, an organisation whose spiritual leader was kicked out of London for applauding terrorist attacks on United States and London.