Two Pakistanis and an Indian-born US citizen told a Hong Kong court Monday they agreed to be extradited to the United States on charges that they plotted to swap drugs for anti-aircraft missiles to sell to Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda network.
The men were caught back in September in an FBI sting operation by undercover agents who said they offered to provide hashish and heroin in exchange for four shoulder-fired Stinger missiles, which experts claim would be capable of shooting down civilian jetliners.
Pakistanis Syed Saadat Ali Faraz, 54, and Muhammed Abid Afridi, 29, and naturalized American citizen Ilyas Ali, 55, expressed their willingness to be extradited as the court convened Monday after a delay of several hours as officials sought an interpreter, according to AP.
The interpreter spoke with the men in Urdu and then informed the court of their decision. They were set to return to court later Monday to formally sign documents to that effect. The extradition must still be approved by Hong Kong's leader, Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, a process that is likely to take a period of several weeks.
For his part, US Attorney General John Ashcroft has called the case a reminder "of the toxic combination of drugs and terrorism and the threats they can pose to our national security." (Albawaba.com)
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