Florida College Student Arrested In Off-limits Area of Pakistan

A U.S. citizen was arrested on unspecified charges Monday in a rugged tribal area of Pakistan that borders Afghanistan and is forbidden to most foreigners, a Pakistani official said. Jude Kenan, a Florida college student, was arrested in Shabqadar, in the Charsadda district of the Mohmand Agency in North Waziristan, said Pakistan Police Station House Officer Qayum Khan.

Officers were investigating what the man was doing in the border area, which is believed to be a possible hiding place for Osama bin Laden and other foreign extremists, said one officer, Pir Shahab.

Kenan was leaving the tribal areas through the Yakaghund police checkpoint when he was arrested, Khan said.

The only foreigners allowed in the district are those permitted by the Interior Ministry.

Authorities said Kenan had a U.S. passport as well as a camera, laptop and dagger. Kenan said he was in the region to meet “Habibullah,” the police official said.

Habibullah is a proper name in Afghanistan and is the name of an Afghan detainee who died in U.S. custody in 2002. The name means “God’s beloved” or “God’s favorite” in Arabic.

Kenan has been moved to the Shabqadar police station for further questioning, Khan said.

A U.S. embassy spokesman said he had no information on the arrest.

Asked whether he was believed to be a journalist, a tourist, a researcher, or a suspected militant, Shahab said: “These are the questions we are trying to investigate.”

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United States counterterrorism experts believe that terrorists with an “American face” will conduct any future attack, The Telegraph reported on Thursday.

Referring to reports of Westerners in terrorism training camps in Pakistan, the report quoted experts saying dozens of Westerners have undergone training, as terrorists try to recruit non-Middle Eastern Asians, particularly Caucasians, because they are less likely to attract the attention of security forces. Read more