Latest news with #MuhammadPahlawan
News18
2 days ago
- News18
Pakistani National Convicted In US For Smuggling Iranian Arms To Houthis US Houthi War
A U.S. jury has convicted Muhammad Pahlawan, a 49-year-old Pakistani man, for smuggling Iranian-made weapons to Yemen's Houthi rebels. Pahlawan faces charges including conspiring to support terrorism, aiding Iran's weapons of mass destruction program, and transporting explosives. n18oc_world News18 Mobile App -
NDTV
3 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
US Jury Convicts Pak Man Of Smuggling Iranian Arms To Yemen's Houthis
A Pakistani man seized last year in a raid by US Navy SEALS was convicted Thursday of smuggling Iranian weapons to Yemen's Huthi rebels. Muhammad Pahlawan, 49, was one of four men taken into US custody during the navy's January 2024 vessel seizure off the coast of Somalia, an operation which left two SEALs dead. A federal jury in Virginia convicted Pahlawan of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, aiding Iran's weapons of mass destruction program, conspiring to transport explosives and other charges. He is to be sentenced on September 22 and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for each of the most serious charges. According to court documents, Pahlawan worked with two Iranian brothers affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to smuggle weapons from Iran to the Huthis. He was the captain of the vessel, a dhow, boarded by members of the US special forces, according to court documents. Iranian-made ballistic missile and anti-ship cruise missile parts were discovered on board that were consistent with weaponry used by Huthi rebels to attack merchant ships and US military vessels. The Huthis, who have controlled large swaths of Yemen for more than a decade, began attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in November 2023, weeks after the start of the Israel-Hamas war. The Huthis began targeting ships they claimed were linked to Israel in attacks they said were in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where Israeli forces are battling Hamas. Two Navy SEALs went missing during the January 11, 2024 operation and were declared dead after a 10-day search failed to locate them.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Pakistani Man Convicted of Smuggling Iranian Missile Parts Headed to Houthi Rebels
A Pakistani man was convicted on Thursday for his role in smuggling Iranian missile components bound for Houthi rebels, after being captured in a military operation last year that resulted in the deaths of two Navy SEALs, the Justice Department said. The man, Muhammad Pahlawan, 49, was the captain of a small boat that was intercepted by the Navy ship Lewis B. Puller off Somalia in January 2024 and boarded by SEALs and U.S. Coast Guard members, prosecutors said. They found 'ballistic missile components, anti-ship cruise missile components and a warhead,' consistent with weapons the Houthis have used against merchant ships and Navy vessels in the Red Sea. Mr. Pahlawan was taken into custody with three other accused him of working with two Iranian brothers affiliated with Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps to smuggle the weapon components from Iran to the coast of Somalia. They said his vessel was about to transfer the missile parts to another ship for final delivery to Houthi commanders in Yemen when he was intercepted. Prosecutors said that Mr. Pahlawan made multiple smuggling runs between August 2023 and January 2024. The court papers included a curious, unexplained detail: The Iranian authorities had arrested Mr. Pahlawan and other crew members weeks before the Americans captured him, after Mr. Pahlawan's boat returned to Iran from a smuggling voyage in December 2023. He was released and resumed his operations, prosecutors said. A federal jury in Virginia convicted Mr. Pahlawan of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. He was also convicted of threatening the lives of his crew members and their families after being boarded. Most of the crimes that he was convicted of have a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, the Justice Department said. Sentencing will be in September. As Navy SEALs attempted to board Mr. Pahlawan's vessel last year, one member of the SEAL team appeared to slip off the boarding ladder or was swept away by a wave, officials said. Another jumped into the water to try to save the first officer, but both disappeared below the waves. The Navy declared them dead, and their bodies were never recovered. A Navy investigation concluded that the SEALs' deaths were preventable, with a final report criticizing deficiencies in training and procedure. The review concluded that the two sailors sank quickly in the rough Arabian Sea because they were weighed down by heavy equipment.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
US jury convicts Pakistani man of smuggling Iranian arms to Houthis
A Pakistani man seized last year in a raid by US Navy SEALS was convicted Thursday of smuggling Iranian weapons to Yemen's Huthi rebels. Muhammad Pahlawan, 49, was one of four men taken into US custody during the navy's January 2024 vessel seizure off the coast of Somalia, an operation which left two SEALs dead. A federal jury in Virginia convicted Pahlawan of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, aiding Iran's weapons of mass destruction program, conspiring to transport explosives and other charges. He is to be sentenced on September 22 and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for each of the most serious charges. According to court documents, Pahlawan worked with two Iranian brothers affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to smuggle weapons from Iran to the Huthis. He was the captain of the vessel, a dhow, boarded by members of the US special forces, according to court documents. Iranian-made ballistic missile and anti-ship cruise missile parts were discovered on board that were consistent with weaponry used by Huthi rebels to attack merchant ships and US military vessels. The Huthis, who have controlled large swaths of Yemen for more than a decade, began attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in November 2023, weeks after the start of the Israel-Hamas war. The Huthis began targeting ships they claimed were linked to Israel in attacks they said were in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where Israeli forces are battling Hamas. Two Navy SEALs went missing during the January 11, 2024 operation and were declared dead after a 10-day search failed to locate them.
