ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- U.S. officials reportedly were dismayed by the release in Pakistan of a computer expert al-Qaida suspect who was in custody for three years.
Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan had been held since July 2004 without being charged. The New York Times Wednesday quoted Khan’s lawyer Babar Awan as saying his client’s release came as the Pakistani Supreme Court was readying to take up cases of detention without trial.
Awan told The Times the 28-year-old, arrested at the airport in Lahore, was let go without charge and is now in Karachi.
U.S. officials wouldn't speak on record but the Times reported they are dismayed by the development.
After Khan’s arrest, Pakistani and U.S. authorities reportedly searched his computer ,which led to his being accused of acting as a courier and an electronic information disseminator for al-Qaida.
A Human Rights Watch researcher told the Times he learned Khan was quietly let go last month. He speculated Khan was found to be no longer useful as an information source for intelligence agencies.
Pakistan officials haven't explained why Khan wasn't charged during his detention, the report said.
