Osama bin Laden doctor jailed for 'militant links'
The Pakistani court that convicted a doctor who helped find Osama bin Laden jailed him for alleged ties to a warlord and not working for the CIA.
In January, Defense Secretary Leon
Panetta confirmed that Shakeel Afridi had worked for US intelligence by
collecting DNA to verify Osama bin Laden's presence in the town of
Abbottabad Photo: Getty/AP
Shakeel Afridi was last week sentenced to 33 years in prison and found guilty
of treason under Pakistan's archaic system of tribal justice.
A copy of the May 24 verdict said evidence that the accused acted "with
other foreign intelligence agencies" could not be taken into account "for
the lack of jurisdiction" in the tribal belt.
Instead, it recommended the evidence "be produced before the relevant
concerned court for further proceedings under the law," raising the
prospect that Afridi could yet face another trial for treason.
Afridi's sentencing was met by anger in the United States where the Senate
Appropriations Committee voted to cut aid to Pakistan by a symbolic $33
million.
In January, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta confirmed that Afridi had worked
for US intelligence by collecting DNA to verify bin Laden's presence in the
town of Abbottabad where Navy SEALs killed the al-Qaeda leader in May 2011.
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