Pakistan delays charges on U.S. suspects

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 10 (UPI) -- A court in Pakistan chose to not file charges Wednesday against five U.S. citizens accused of collaborating with al-Qaida, lawyers said.

"Charges could not be framed against the accused today because some documents were needed which were not annexed with the charge sheet filed by the police earlier," said public prosecutor Naveed Akram Cheema.

The court said it would transfer the hearing to a district jail because of security concerns. The court also barred their deportation to the United States, Pakistan's Dawn newspaper reports.

The accused said they were tortured while in Pakistani custody, though prison officials denied their claims, Dawn added.

Pakistani officials accused the five U.S. nationals of plotting with al-Qaida to launch attacks inside Afghanistan. They claim they were trying to travel to Afghanistan for relief work.

Dawn in December identified the U.S. nations as Ahmad Abdullah Mani, Waqar Husain, Ramay Zaman, Iman Hasan Yasir, Omar Farooq and Khalid Farooq. A team of FBI officers arrived shortly after their arrest to investigate the matter.

Pakistani authorities claimed Monday they arrested U.S. al-Qaida supporter Adam Gadahn in Karachi, though later admitted it was a case of mistaken identity. Regional security officials are concerned, however, about the infiltration of foreign fighters into Afghanistan as international military operations gain momentum.