WASHINGTON: A Pakistani-born Oregon man was arrested on Tuesday on charges of being involved in giving financially help to one of three suicide bombers to carry out an attack in 2009 in Pakistan that killed 30 people and injured 300 others, US officials said.
The 48-year-old Reaz Qadir Khan could be sentenced to life in prison if he is found guilty of the charges of “conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists.”
Khan was arrested on Tuesday without incident at his Portland home, before later appearing in court to hear the charges against him, a statement said.
Investigators said that Khan assisted to an individual named Ali Jaleel, who died while participating in the May 27, 2009 blast at the headquarters of Pakistan’s intelligence service in Lahore, in northeastern Pakistan.
According to the indictment, Khan provided Jaleel, who comes from the Maldives, and his family with “advice and financial assistance,” including after Jaleel’s death.
That aid included paying for Jaleel to attend a terrorist training camp and advice on how to escape detection, all while knowing the assistance “would be used in a conspiracy to kill, maim or kidnap persons abroad.”