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IN PHOTO: A news assistant runs to her co-workers with printed copies of court decisions in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington June 29, 2015. The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that a drug used by Oklahoma as part of its lethal injection procedure does not violate the U.S. Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment, dealing a setback to opponents of the death penalty. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Amid all the accusations of joining an Islamic State led terrorist organisation, the 20- year old former Sydney resident has been acquitted for now by the US court and granted a bail. Earlier in May, Asher Khan was arrested in Texas after the U.S. authorities closely monitored his Facebook account. His other sources of communications were also followed.

Skynews reported that the U.S. authorities charged him of conspiracy. His prosecutors insisted on having Mr. Khan jailed before trial, as he was found guilty of conspiring to provide material resources to Islamic State as a form of support. Although a U.S. granted prosecutors his release back in June, yet prosecutors repealed. However, decisions to free him were upheld by majority of the judges in the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Fifth Circuit.

The U.S. authorities found out that Khan who moved to Sydney in 2013 to be with his relatives was trying to establish contacts with a Turkish based foreign terrorist group. He expressed his discontent over living in the western countries and sympathised with people fighting and dying as “martyrs” in Islamic State. He believed that they were caught in “hardship.”

Mr. Khan had flown to Turkey from Australia on February 24, but went back to Houston when his family tricked him saying his mother had fallen severely ill. According to Skynews, his trial in Houston was dated on August 4 but his prosecutors and lawyers pushed the date later in November to review the evidences collected and consider appeals if any.

The U.S. Court released Khan after AU$203,300 was paid as a bail amount, yet he has been strictly ordered to remain at home in his parents’ custody and not leave unless he would visit his lawyer or religious places. All his visits would be constantly monitored through GPS. He has been banned from using Internet and in case convicted, he would face 15 years of jail in U.S. federal prison.

Contact the writer on priya.shayani@gmail.com

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