Two Pakistanis hauled up in UAE court for links with al-Qaeda

Two Pakistani brothers, stated to be in contact with top al-qaeda Abu al-Yazid before he was felled by a US missile, have gone on trial in the United Arab Emirates.

The brothers, both businessmen are accused of fund raising and recruiting jihadis for al-Qaeda, The National newspaper reported.

The brothers, who were only identified by initials "AKW", 49 and his younger brother "ASW", 43 were in "constant contact with al-Qaeda number three Mustafa Abu al-Yazid and Osama bin Laden's former treasure who was killed in a drone attack on May 21.

The two businessmen are the first Pakistanis to be put on trial in the UAE for links with al-Qaeda and were arrested in April this year after a tip-off from Pakistani authorities, the paper said.

The two are accused of supplying laptops, telescopes, specialised pencil torches and Swiss knives to Waziristan, a hotbed of al-Qaeda, Taliban and other radical Islamic groups.

The brothers denied charges of links with al-Qaeda and told the court that they had contacts with only a Lahore based religious organisation Tanzeem e Islami.

Prosecutors told the court that they had found messages sent to al-Qaeda commander from the computer of AKW.

The hearing in the case will continue.