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Pakistani court convicts 5 N.Va. men; attorneys vow appeal
Five Northern Virginia men were convicted on terrorism charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Pakistani court Thursday, in a case that focused U.S. concern about its citizens linking up with foreign extremist groups.
An attorney for the men questioned the legitimacy of the verdict and accused prosecutors and the judge in the closed-door trial of ignoring key evidence. He promised an immediate appeal.
In the Alexandria section of Fairfax County, off Route 1, the families of the five men were said to be reeling from news of the convictions.
"They had hoped for justice and are devastated by the results," said Alexandria lawyer Nina Ginsberg, who is working with the men and their families in the face of potential prosecution by the U.S. government and has closely followed the Pakistan court proceedings. "This was a rigged trial that appears to have been based on fabricated evidence in a secret court with a preordained result."