KARACHI, Aug 29: The administrative judge of anti-terrorism courts in Karachi on Tuesday sent an Al-Qaeda suspect to jail, facing charges of killing a US diplomat and others in Karachi, and directed the investigation officer to submit a charge-sheet against them on Sept 5.

Osman Ghani was produced before the administrative judge, Justice Amir Hani Muslim, by the anti-violent crime cell for seeking his judicial custody. Earlier, co-accused Anwarul Haq was sent to jail by the cagistrate concerned after his confessional statement.

Police charged them with preparing the plot for car bombing near the US consulate in Karachi on March 2, in which four persons including US diplomat David Foy and three Pakistanis were killed and 48 others wounded.

According to police, the alleged suicide attacker, who was later identified as Mohammad Tahir, had rammed a car packed with explosives into a vehicle carrying the US diplomat soon after it left the consulate gate.

The blast came just two days before US President George Bush's scheduled visit to Pakistan. An absconding co-accused, Mohammad Zafar alias Qari Zafar, the mastermind of the blast, is still at large. — PPI