Three family members of Hafiz Muhammed Sher Ali Khan, the 76-year-old Imam of the Flagler Mosque who was arrested along with his American-based sons and charged with providing material support to the Pakistani Taliban, have been detained by official in Pakistan. The three were also indicted in the charged by the U.S. government, and were considered at-large in Pakistan. Their detention indicates that Pakistani officials are still more than willing to cooperate with the United States.
The Express Tribune, an English-language Pakistani newspaper, reports that Ali Rehman, Alam Zeb and Amina Bibi have been put under house arrest in the Swat region of Pakistan.
Bibi is Khan's daughter and spoke out to Pakistani reporters following her father's arrest, and claimed that the family did not have any ties to the Taliban. Zeb is Khan's grandson, and Bibi's son.
"Since last night, security forces have confined Amina Bibi and her son Alam Zeb at their house," an anonymous resident of their village tells the paper. "They are not allowed to meet anybody."
A report from Reuters confirms that 19-year-old Zeb has been interrogated by Pakistani officials. Zeb also claims that his family has no terrorist links, and that the money Khan and his sons sent back was meant to repair a religious school and help his family.
Though, some reports indicate that another one of Khan's sons, though not indicted in the charges this weekend, was believed to have been a commander in the Pakistani Taliban.
Reuters also claims that the U.S. government did not specifically ask Pakistan to detain the three despite their indictment, and the unsolicited cooperation comes at time when relations between the two countries were believed to be strained following the raid that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden.
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