SARGODHA, PAKISTAN — Five Northern Virginia men were convicted on terror charges by a Pakistani court on Thursday and sentenced to at least 10 years in prison, prosecutors and defense lawyers said, in a case that heightened concerns about Westerners traveling to Pakistan to join forces with extremist groups.
The trial of the young Muslim men who lived and grew up in the Alexandria area was sensitive for the United States, which has a duty to ensure justice for its citizens but also has pushed Pakistan to crack down on militancy.
The men, who met each other in Northern Virginia and worshipped at the same Fairfax County mosque, were arrested in Pakistan in December after their families reported them missing. At the time, the men ranged in age from 18 to 24.
Full story: Pakistani court sentences 5 N.Va. men to at least 10 years in prison.