SAN FRANCISCO, June 25: A Pakistani Imam, Shabbir Ahmed, facing deportation was accused on Friday of encouraging attacks on President Gen Pervez Musharraf because of his support to the American war on terrorism. Justice Department attorney Paul Nishiie argued against releasing Ahmed on bail, saying he was linked to a terrorist group in Karachi, and had allegedly preached about attacking Americans a few months after the Sept 11 terrorist attacks. He also called for attacks on Gen Musharraf, Mr Nishiie claimed.

Mr Nishiie said Ahmed was a student and teacher at Jamia Farooqia, which was listed as a terrorist group by the US State Department in 2001. Jamia Farooqia, which calls itself a “renowned university of Islamic sciences” on the Internet, sent troops to Afghanistan to fight on behalf of the Taliban against Americans, he said.

Immigration Judge Anthony Murry did not rule on Ahmed’s bail request, continuing the hearing until Aug 2. Ahmed was led away from the heavily guarded courtroom in shackles. A deportation trial was scheduled for Oct 24.

During the same hearing, a government attorney said another Lodi imam, Mohammad Adil Khan, being held on immigration charges once had close ties to the Taliban. His 19-year-old son, Mohammad Hassan Adil Khan, is also being detained pending immigration hearings that were postponed until Aug 2.

The elder Khan was the former general secretary of Jamia Farooqia and allegedly had close ties with the Taliban, Mr Nishiie said.

Ahmed and Khan’s lawyer, Saad Ahmad, said his clients were not involved in terrorism. “We all do things in life that we are not proud of,” he said after the hearing. “Somebody may have said things. It doesn’t necessarily mean he is a terrorist.”

Five Pakistanis were arrested earlier this month during a terrorism investigation in Lodi, about 80 miles east of San Francisco. Muslim leaders, the American Civil Liberties Union and government leaders have criticized the tactics of federal investigators and for bringing a spotlight on the community.

Friday’s hearing in San Francisco was the first time the FBI revealed evidence against Ahmed and Khan.