Pakistani man who killed American inside court room says lawyer gave him gun

A Pakistani man charged with the killing of a US citizen inside a court in Peshawar in July has claimed that he had an accomplice - a lawyer who managed to sneak the gun into the building and give it to him, the police said on Thursday. The American, Tahir Naseem, was gunned down in a court in Peshawar where he was on trial for blasphemy following his arrest two years ago.

His killer, Faisal Khan, was taken into custody on the spot and now claims he had an accomplice who was able to bring the gun inside the court undetected and give it to him, said police official Inamullah Khan. The police official is not related to the killer.

The alleged accomplice, Tufail Zia, who had no role in the proceedings against Naseem but as a lawyer was apparently able to bypass heavy security around the Peshawar courthouse, has also been arrested, the police official said. He is to remain in custody while police investigate Faisal Khan's claim.

Within days of the fatal shooting, religious radicals throughout Pakistan demonstrated in support of the killer and praised his actions. Selfies surfaced online of members of Pakistan's elite guards force seen smiling as they transported Khan for his arraignment court appearance.

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US condemns the incident

The US government has urged Pakistan to move quickly to investigate and prosecute Naseem's killer. The US State Department said Naseem had been “lured to Pakistan” from his home in Illinois and entrapped by the country's controversial blasphemy law, which international rights groups have sought to have repealed.

The US Commission on International Freedom also condemned Naseem's killing and labelled Pakistan a “country of particular concern” in its 2020 report because of its treatment of minorities, which are increasingly under attack even as Prime Minister Imran Khan preaches a “tolerant” Pakistan. 

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(with AP inputs)