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Syed Amin Jafri in Hyderabad
The families of two Hyderabadis detained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the wake of the September 11 strikes in the United States remain clueless about the charges against the duo.
Some media reports indicate that the duo is "innocent", and some others speculate that the FBI is yet to clear them of any criminal complicity or proximity to those involved in the terror attacks.
"We have no authoritative word from the US. Mohammed Jaweed Azmath has written thrice from a New York prison. The FBI has not told us about his status and whether he would be released if nothing incriminating is found against him," Mohammed Akbar, younger brother of Azmath, said.
Akbar told rediff.com that local newspaper items based on the "contradictory" reports in the US media have the family worried.
One US report claimed that the release of the duo was unlikely in the near future, as the FBI was probing their antecedents. Another said both the Hyderabadis were innocent.
"We are quite upset. I am quite sure that Ayub Ali Khan and his friend (Azmath) are innocent. I am told that they have been interrogated and nothing was found against them," Gul Begum, Khan's mother, told rediff.com
"Why are the US authorities not letting them off? We have received two letters from Ayub and another communication from his attorney. But my son has made no phone calls so far. The Indian government is also not helping us."
Gul Begum said Khan had informed in his second letter that he was fine and was being detained at the Brooklyn Detention Centre. Reiterating his innocence, he asked the family to pray for his release during the holy month of Ramzan.
Mohammed Akbar pointed out his brother (Azmath) was observing Ramzan fast even while he was in custody at the Brooklyn Detention Centre. Stating that he was fine, Azmath, too, in the third letter, implored his family to offer prayers for his speedy release.
Khan's family was a little optimistic after it received a letter from his defence attorney who had opined that "in due time, he will be released from criminal custody for reasons of lack of proof against him, and that he will thereafter be deported".
In a letter sent to Gul Begum in mid-November, Lawrence K Fietell had informed her that he had been assigned by the US District Court to represent Khan.
Gul Begum had written to President K R Narayanan and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, urging them to use their good offices in securing the early release of the duo.
The families are also seeking help of the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to use his influence in convincing the external affairs ministry to help the duo by extending them full legal aid.
The USA Today's Kevin Johnson reported on Friday that "agents now believe that the two men arrested on immigration charges at a Fort Worth train station on September 12 are not linked to the attacks. Ayub Ali Khan and Mohammed Jaweed Azmath drew agents' interest because they were carrying box cutters and more than $5,000 in cash. The hijackers used box cutters as weapons when they took over four jets".
The USA Today recalled that "Khan and Azmath have been held as material witnesses because authorities initially thought they might have been part of a hijacking team whose mission was thwarted when air traffic was grounded shortly after the attacks. Now, agents believe the pair was involved in a credit-card scheme that ran up $280,000 in charges, but was not linked to the attacks."
Agencies
ALSO SEE The Complete Coverage: The US War in Afghanistan The Complete Coverage: The Attacks on US Cities
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