FO says 25-year-old Luqmaan Khan is an Afghan who briefly lived in Pakistan as a refugee
The State Department (FO) on Thursday denied foreign media reports that identified a man arrested in Delaware over alleged attack plots as Pakistani, clarifying that the suspect is an Afghan national who had spent only a few years as a refugee in Pakistan.
“He is not a Pakistani citizen or of Pakistani origin,” FO spokesman Tahir Andrabi said in a statement. “He is Afghan, spent a few years as a refugee in Pakistan and then went to the United States where he spent most of his life.”
His clarification came after several media reports — including by USA Today, the New York Post and the Hindustan Times — described him as a Pakistani-born American citizen, a claim the FO says is inaccurate.
Read: Afghan national involved in terrorism killed during operation: ISPR
According to a report by Associated Press from earlier today, which also does not identify Khan as a man of Pakistani origin, the suspect was a student at the University of Delaware.
A press release issued by the US Department of Justice on December 1 detailing charges against Khan identified him as a resident of the Delaware city of Wilmington and did not mention his nationality.
Khan was arrested when New Castle County police officers found his white pickup truck parked in Canby Park West after hours. Police said Khan refused commands to exit the vehicle and resisted arrest before being arrested.
A search of the truck revealed a Glock pistol chambered in .357 SIG with 27 rounds of ammunition, three additional loaded magazines, a ballistics plate and a handwritten notebook with detailed notes on possible attacks. The notebook contained a sketch labeled “UD Police Station,” marked entry and exit points, and the name of a University of Delaware police officer. Investigators said the notes outlined “premeditated assault plans,” including methods to evade law enforcement.
Read more: Afghan suspect likely radicalized in US
Local US media also reported that the notebook contained repeated references to “martyrdom” and phrases such as “kill everyone”, although these details do not appear in the DoJ complaint.
According to the Ministry of Justice press release, Khan was charged with unlawful possession of a machine gun on 26 November.
“If convicted of the charge, Khan faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. If Khan is ultimately convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors,” it said.
