5 U.S. terror suspects get 15-year jail term in Pakistan

Five American terror suspects were sentenced to 15 years in prison each by a Pakistani court on Thursday, local sources said.

An anti-terror court sentenced the five U.S. citizens arrested under terror charges imprisonment of 15 years each. They were arrested with maps, passports and cameras in Dec. 2009 in east Pakistan's Sargodha.

They will appeal verdict in Lahore High Court, their defence counsel told media. The convicts were also fined 70,000 rupees ( about 860 U.S. dollars) apiece.

Earlier report said that they got 10 year-jail term.

The U.S. and Pakistani intelligence officials questioned the arrested, local TV channel Express reported. They were believed to plan to travel to Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal area for training.

The men have been identified as Ramy Zamzam of Egyptian descent, Waqar Khan and Umar Farooq of Pakistani descent, and Aman Hassan Yemer and Ahmed Minni of Ethiopian descent.

Prosecutors said they have presented evidence such as e-mail records and witness statements backing up their contention the men were plotting terror attacks in Pakistan.

Police deployed extra patrols and barriers around the local court ahead of verdict in the trial in Sargodha. The road in front of the court building was blocked off, while police vehicles swarmed the scene, according to the private TV ARY News.

Source: Xinhua