The treason charge carries the death penalty if he is convicted. He wasalso charged with two counts of providing material support to adesignated foreign terrorist organization.
The American-born spokesman for al-Qaida has been arrested by Pakistani intelligence officers in the southern city of Karachi, two officers and a government official said Sunday, the same day Adam Gadahn appeared in a video urging U.S. Muslims to attack their own country.
The arrest of Gadahn is a major victory in the U.S.-led battle against al-Qaida and will be taken as a sign that Pakistan,criticized in the past for being an untrustworthy ally, is cooperatingmore fully with Washington. It follows the recent detentions of severalAfghan Taliban commanders in Karachi, including the movement’s No. 2 commander.
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Al-Qaida has used Gadahn as its chief English-speaking spokesman. Inone video, he ceremoniously tore up his American passport. In another,he admitted his grandfather was Jewish, ridiculing him for his beliefsand calling for Palestinians to continue fighting Israel.