The Foreign Office (FO) has clarified that the man detained in the United States (US) on weapons and attack-related charges last week is an Afghan national and not of Pakistani descent.
FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi released the statement after numerous international reports referred to the suspect as a Pakistani.
“He is neither a Pakistani national nor of Pakistani origin. He is an Afghan who lived a few years as a refugee in Pakistan before moving to the US, where he has spent the majority of his life,” the spokesperson said.
Earlier, reports from various foreign, particularly Indian, media outlets had said the suspect, Luqman Khan, was a US citizen born in Pakistan.
While a report released by The Associated Press on Thursday did not identify Khan as having Pakistani roots, it revealed that the suspect was a student at the University of Delaware.
A press release from the US Department of Justice issued on December 1 detailed the charges against Khan but did not specify his nationality.
The release noted that Khan, a Wilmington resident in Delaware, was stopped during a traffic check on November 24, where he allegedly did not comply and was subsequently arrested.
According to the Department of Justice, officers discovered a .357 caliber Glock handgun loaded with 27 rounds in his vehicle. They also found a handwritten notebook that contained discussions about “additional weapons and firearms, how they could be utilised in an attack and methods to evade law enforcement detection following an attack”.
The notebook listed a member of the University of Delaware Police Department’s name and included a layout of a building labeled with entry and exit points under the title “UD Police Station”.
Subsequently, law enforcement officers searched Khan’s home. According to the Department of Justice, they seized a Glock 19 9mm handgun equipped with an illegal machine-gun conversion device, known as a “switch”.
Additionally, they recovered a .556 rifle with a scope and red-dot sight, eleven extended magazines, hollow-point ammunition and a tactical vest with ballistic plates.
The press release stated that Khan was charged on November 26 with illegal possession of a machine gun.
It noted that this charge could result in a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and sentencing will be determined by a federal judge according to US Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.