Miami Muslim Cleric Jailed For Supporting Taliban To Be Released

MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — An elderly and ailing Miami Muslim cleric convicted on federal charges of funneling money to the Pakistani Taliban will be released early from prison on humanitarian grounds.

Miami U.S. District Judge Robert Scola ordered Friday that 84-year-old Hafiz Khan be released from a North Carolina prison to a hospice care facility. The order says Khan suffers from pneumonia, dementia, and cancer and cannot speak.

Khan was convicted in 2013 of providing at least $50,000 in support to the Pakistani Taliban, which is considered a terrorist group by the U.S.  He was sentenced to a 25-year prison term.

Federal prosecutors argued that Khan remained a danger because he could still direct money to the extremists. But Scola found that he no longer poses a threat.

Khan will be released to a Raleigh, North Carolina hospice.

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)