U.S. Citizen Remains in Pakistani Custody
Pakistani officials said Thursday that the 20-year old American student they arrested recently in the country’s tribal area was released. American authorities, meanwhile, say that Pakistan continues to detain Floridian Jude Kennan in Waziristan province.
Kennan was arrested when he tried to cross a checkpoint in the Mohmand tribal area, because he was travelling to the region illegally. Foreigners are not allowed to enter the tribal region, unless the government gives them explicit permission. This is because the region is controlled by the Taliban and Al Qaeda – Pakistan obviously wants to prevent more people from joining these extremist organizations.
“U.S. Embassy officials in Islamabad confirmed Thursday that Jude Kennan was still in custody and had not been released as reported,”Consular official Tara Rigler told AlArabiya.net.
Kennan is half-American and half-Pakistani. His father comes from Pakistan and now lives in the Peshawar region. “He has told us that he was a student at a community college in Florida and wanted to enter the tribal region to see a friend,” police officer Marjan Khan told Pakistan’s The News on Wednesday.
He is the second American arrested in the region; seven years ago, John Walker Lindh, a 20-year old Californian was also arrested. Lindh had joined the Taliban and actively fought on their side in the war against the U.S.
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