08/06/2006
By Christine Kearney NEW YORK (Reuters) - An American student suspected of helping supply Islamic militants fighting U.S. forces in Afghanistan was indicted by a federal grand jury on terrorism charges on Wednesday, officials said. Syed Hashmi, 26, a U.S. citizen studying and living in London, was arrested at Heathrow airport on Tuesday when he was about to board a plane to Pakistan, FBI spokesman James Margolin said. A grand jury in Manhattan federal court indicted Hashmi on four counts including conspiracy and supporting al Qaeda by providing military gear to unnamed co-conspirators with links to militants fighting U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Originally from the New York City borough of Queens, Hashmi appeared in London's Bow Street magistrates court and was ordered to remain in custody pending extradition to New York, said Megan Gaffney, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan. Hashmi, also known as Fahad, and others provided unspecified military gear to unnamed people who transported it to al Qaeda associates in South Waziristan, Pakistan, between January 2004 and May 2006, according to the indictment. One of Hashmi's suspected co-conspirators had already been arrested in New York, the indictment said. Officials did not provide details of that suspect. If convicted of all four counts, Hashmi faces up to 54 years in prison.
SOURCE: Reuters
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