2 Pakistanis suspected of terrorism to appear in court
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DENVER (CNN) -- Two Pakistani citizens detained in Denver on immigration violations in an ongoing terrorism probe are scheduled to appear in court late Friday as the government seeks to halt their release, citing their attendance at Middle East training camps.
The Denver case plays out against a backdrop of continuing counterterrorism investigations which sources say could result in the detention of 20 to 30 more individuals around the country in coming days.
The sources tell CNN the individuals have been under surveillance and many are believed to have attended training camps in the Middle East.
Last week, a Denver magistrate judge ordered Pakistanis Sajjad Nasser and Irfan Kamran released, but government prosecutors are appealing to the chief federal district court judge, arguing they must be kept in custody.
An attorney for Nasser said the defendant acknowledges having attended briefly an Army of Mohammed camp in Pakistan, but said his client represents no risk and should be released promptly.
"He was there only a few days, and decided it wasn't for him," attorney Mari Newman told CNN. "The camp had nothing to do with the United States. It had to do with protecting Pakistan against an incursion from India."
Newman said Nasser has no ties to terrorism and needs to be freed so he can return to work.
Attorneys said Friday's hearing may deal only with scheduling issues and that substantive arguments will likely be set for next week.
The government's focus appears centered on a third Pakistani-born Colorado man, an associate of Nasser and Kamran. That defendant, Haroon Rashid, has been ordered held without bail pending trial.
An FBI agent testified Monday at Rashid's detention hearing that he trained at a Pakistani camp and promised to conduct a "holy war" against the United States. The agent said Rashid tried to buy a rifle equipped with a night scope and said he expected to receive orders to engage in violence.
The three men are charged only with immigration violations, but other charges may be added, officials said.
--CNN Correspondent Kelli Arena and Producer Terry Frieden contributed to this story.
