It was an odd case for multiple reasons. When Pakistani citizens Irfan Ul Haq (37), Qasim Ali (32) and Zahid Yousaf (43) pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiring to provide material support to the Pakistani Taliban, they were also slapped with a more unusual charge — human smuggling.
Adding another twist to the tale Assistant Attorney General for National Security Lisa Monaco announced this week that as part of their plea agreements, the three defendants had agreed to a “stipulated order of removal to Pakistan upon the completion of their criminal sentences”.
Could this mark a shift in the Obama administration's counterterrorism strategy? Would the normal course of action not be to seek the maximum penalty for terrorism suspects — usually a lengthy jail term — rather than enter into plea bargains with them?
The only other case in recent memory where another Pakistanisuspect was afforded the luxury of a plea bargain was the murky saga of David Headley, for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
The explanation behind the human smuggling charges too is unusual. As officials explained, the entrapment of the defendants occurred through a sting operation wherein law enforcement agents directed confidential sources to ask the defendants, who were residing in Ecuador at the time, for their assistance in smuggling a fictitious person from Pakistan to the U.S. “Over the course of the ensuing negotiations, the defendants were made aware that the person to be smuggled was a member of the TTP [Tehrik-i-Taliban or Pakistani Taliban] who was blacklisted in Pakistan,” said the U.S. Department of Justice in a statement.
Adding that the defendants said they did not care if the men they smuggled “swept floors or [wanted to] blow up” something, FBI Special Agent in Charge John Gillies of the FBI Miami Division said, “As long as they got paid, they did not care if innocent people would be killed in a potential terrorist attack.”
While sentencing is scheduled for December 9, 2011, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, officials said. The prosecution's case had been built on the fact that the three men had conspired to provide material support to the TTP in the form of false documentation and identification, knowing that the TTP engages in terrorist activity and terrorism, according to officials.
“These criminals were willing to use their human smuggling network to help a terrorist slip across our border without any regard for the consequences,” said U.S Attorney Ronald Machen, noting that “Ten years after 9/11, this case reminds us that we must remain aggressive to stop terrorists from infiltrating our homeland and harming our nation.”
