Pakistani guilty in N.Y. terror trial

Florida Statesman Thursday 21st December, 2006

A Pakistani man was convicted in New York Wednesday of financially supporting a militant separatist group in India, federal prosecutors said.

Khalid Awan, 44, was convicted of providing money to the Khalistan Commando Force, a now-weakened militant group whose goal was to form the Sikh state of Khalistan in India's Punjab state and parts of neighboring states.

The group, founded in 1986, is considered a terrorist group by India and called freedom fighters by its supporters.

It is said to have been responsible for thousands of deaths, including numerous assassinations of prominent Indian government officials, and hundreds of bombings, acts of sabotage and kidnappings.

The war on terror is a global battle, said Roslynn Mauskopf, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York. We will not permit individuals in our jurisdiction to finance terrorist groups responsible for murder and violence in any part of the world.

Awan faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison when he is sentenced March 7.