ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FO) Thursday strongly denied reports in Indian media claiming that a Pakistani citizen was arrested in the United States for planning an attack.
Officials clarified that the suspect, Luqman Khan, detained in Delaware on November 24, is an Afghan national who holds dual US–Afghan citizenship, not Pakistani.
The Foreign Office spokesperson stated that Luqman Khan is not a Pakistani citizen, stressing that he only spent some years in Pakistan as a refugee before moving abroad. He was born in Pakistan to Afghan parents, but never held Pakistani citizenship.
Officials added that the suspect has spent most of his life in the United States, where he is a student at the University of Delaware, and also spent substantial time in Afghanistan and Afghan refugee camps earlier in his life.
The spokesperson said baseless news was spread by Indian media outlets, attempting to “malign Pakistan” by linking the arrest to the country. “This misinformation was irresponsible and misleading,” the spokesperson said, urging media organizations to verify facts before broadcasting sensitive news.
The Foreign Office reiterated multiple times that the arrested individual is an Afghan citizen, adding that Pakistan had no connection to the case or the charges.
According to US authorities, Afghan-origin Luqman Khan was arrested in Delaware on November 24 on charges of possessing illegal weapons and planning an attack. Police recovered arms, ammunition, magazines, gunpowder, and “documents planning the alleged attack” from his house and vehicle.
Officials also recovered a manifesto in which the suspect allegedly expressed a desire to “kill everyone” and achieve “martyrdom” in a large-scale attack on the Wilmington campus.
US investigators say the suspect is accused of intending to carry out an attack against the United States.
The Foreign Office stressed again that Luqman Khan is not Pakistani and holds US and Afghan citizenship. He spent only some years in Pakistan as a refugee and has lived mostly in the United States, it added.
Officials expressed concern over “irresponsible reporting” and called on media outlets to avoid misreporting events of international sensitivity.
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