Entertainment
Pakistani smuggler jailed for 40 years after shipping ballistic missile parts from Iran
- US court sentences Pahlawan after conviction on five counts.
- Muhammad Pahlawan arrested by US security forces.
- Pahlawan’s crew say they were not aware of real plot.
LONDON: A weapons smuggler from Pakistan who used a fishing boat to ship ballistic missile parts from Iran to Houthi rebels in Yemen has been sentenced to 40 years in a US prison on five counts.
Muhammad Pahlawan was detained during a US military operation in the Arabian Sea in January 2024. Two US Navy Seals drowned in that operation, according to the US authorities.
Pahlawan’s crew, who were working as fishermen, according to the US case, testified they had been duped into taking part and were not aware of the real plot. At that time, Houthis had launched missile and drone attacks on Israel, claiming they were acting in support of Gazans.
The components found on Pahlawan’s boat were “some of the most sophisticated weapon systems that Iran proliferates to other terrorist groups”, US federal prosecutors said after his trial.
The 49-year-old was sentenced after being convicted on five counts, including terrorism offences and transporting weapons of mass destruction. He has been convicted on five counts, making a total of 480 months or 40 years.
The eight crew members who testified in court said they had no idea what was inside the large packages on board the boat, named the Yunus.
One crew member said that when he questioned Pahlawan about it, he was told to mind his own business.
Pahlawan referred to himself as a “walking dead person” in text message exchanges with his wife in Pakistan, sent in the days before the January 2024 voyage, which would get him arrested.
“Just pray that [we] come back safely,” said the message, used as evidence in court.
“Why do you talk like this, ‘may or may not come back’,” she asked him.
Pahlawan told her: “Such is the nature of the job, my dear, such is the nature of the job.”
His final words to her before sailing were: “Keep me in your prayers. May God take me there safely and bring me back safely, alright. Pray.”
The prosecution told the court that Pahlawan was paid 1,400 million rials (£25,200; $33,274), “part of a larger operation” funded and co-ordinated by two Iranian brothers, Yunus and Shahab Mir’kazei.
The US alleges the Mir’kazei brothers are affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Pahlawan made two successful smuggling voyages before he was caught – one in October 2023, and a second two months later.
The dozen men he recruited to join him were all from Pakistan and had travelled across the border into Iran looking for work.
Before setting off on the December trip, the US court heard, the crew were tasked with loading large packages onto the boat in Chabahar on Iran’s south coast.
Then, after five or six days at sea, when they were close to the coast of Somalia, the crew described another boat pulling up next to them at night and them having to hand over the cargo.
Crew member Mehandi Hassan told the court there were about five men on the other boat, who spoke in a language he didn’t recognise.
Their next voyage, the following month, was expected to follow the same route. As before, it began in the small port of Konarak before sailing to Chabahar, where the crew were made to load heavy boxes on board.
The packages, the US Navy would later discover, contained Iranian-made ballistic missile parts, anti-ship cruise missile components and a warhead.
He worked with the brothers to prepare the boat for these smuggling voyages, received specific coordinates from them for the ship-to-ship transfers, and received multiple payments from them for his role in the smuggling operation.
US federal prosecutors said the components found on Pahlawan’s boat were “some of the most sophisticated weapon systems that Iran proliferates to other terrorist groups”.
On 5 June this year, Pahlawan was found guilty of conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists; providing material support to the Iranian Islamic Revolution Guard Corps’ weapons of mass destruction programme; conspiring to and transporting explosive devices to the Houthis, knowing these explosives would be used to cause harm; and threatening his crew.
“Pahlawan was not only a seasoned smuggler,” prosecutors said, “he knew what he was smuggling and its intended use.”
In a final plea to the court for leniency, Pahlawan’s lawyer wrote that life for Pahlawan’s wife had long been estranged from her family because of her marriage to him, and that since his arrest, her and her child’s lives had become “extremely difficult and harsh”.
“Since the jury verdict, Mr Pahlawan’s singular focus in their telephone conversations is the well-being of his family,” his attorney said. “He does not talk about himself or his fate. He cries with worry over what will become of his wife and child.”
The court ruled that his high sentence was “appropriate due to the nature and circumstances of the offence and the history and characteristics of the defendant”.
He was sentenced at the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Stefon Diggs has hinted that a wedding proposal to Cardi B could be in the works, though he is focused on securing his own championship ring first.
Speaking at a media presser on Monday ahead of Super Bowl LX, the New England Patriots wide receiver was asked if his partner would be receiving a ring of her own if he wins the big game this Sunday.
Diggs laughed at the suggestion, responding, “It’s on the agenda, maybe, right? Right?”
However, he made it clear that the upcoming match against the Seattle Seahawks is his immediate priority, adding, “I gotta get mine first, though.”
The couple, who first sparked dating rumours in February 2025 before making their relationship Instagram-official last June, have had a whirlwind year.
They welcomed a son together in November 2025, adding to their busy family lives.
Cardi, 33, is currently a mother of four, sharing three children, Kulture, 7, Wave, 4, and one-year-old Blossom, with her former partner Offset, from whom she is currently divorcing.
Meanwhile, 32-year-old Diggs is a father to five other children, four of whom were born just last year.
Despite his focus on the pitch, Diggs remains a huge supporter of Cardi’s career and recently praised her performance on Saturday Night Live.
While he admitted he isn’t an expert on the music industry, he told PEOPLE, “I don’t know too much about music but I know she’s one of the best to ever do it and one of the best out right now.”
He expressed his excitement for her upcoming tour, noting that it falls during his football off-season, which should allow him to travel and support her in person.
He even joked about being a dedicated fan in the crowd, saying, “I’ma get me a big a** sign that says, ‘Go, go go go.’”
Cardi has fully embraced her role as a supportive partner, appearing at several of Diggs’ games, including the recent AFC Championship victory over the Denver Broncos.
She is also set for a busy Super Bowl weekend herself, with a scheduled performance at the Fanatics Super Bowl party on Saturday.
Diggs emphasised that he wants to see her continue to flourish and reach her potential as she balances her role as a mother with her global music career.
A little bit of blood was found inside the Arizona home of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, whose disappearance is being investigated as a crime, a law enforcement source familiar with the case told CBS News.
It is unclear whose blood it is, but it is being tested. Investigators and analysts combed through Guthrie’s Tucson, Arizona, home in search of clues to the 84-year-old’s disappearance. During a news conference Tuesday, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said the house was turned back over to the family Monday.
When asked about the blood, Nanos said evidence collected from the home was still being processed and that none of it pointed toward a suspect so far.
“I’m not saying there’s blood inside that house or outside that house,” Nanos told reporters. He said he couldn’t provide details about what was collected from the home.
Investigators believe Guthrie was abducted from her home in the middle of the night over the weekend, Nanos told CBS News. Nanos told reporters Tuesday the search was ongoing.
“We don’t know where she is,” the sheriff said.
Nanos said it wasn’t clear how many people took Guthrie. “It could be one, it could’ve been more, I don’t know,” he said.
Asked if the perpetrators may have taken a security camera from the front of the home, he said investigators were looking into that.
Nanos was asked if a ransom demand had been made for Guthrie. “We’re following all leads,” the sheriff said. He also said, “That’s all I can tell you. We’ve got hundreds of leads.”
Nanos said investigators hadn’t determined whether Guthrie was targeted or if the abduction was random. “We’re going to assume both sides of that,” he said.
Jon Edwards, the assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s office in Tucson, said the bureau was working with the sheriff’s department and providing support, including obtaining information from cell towers. He renewed a call for people to contact authorities if they saw anything in Guthrie’s Catalina Foothills neighborhood Saturday night or Sunday morning.
“We are looking at this from every angle, but we need your help,” Edwards said.
The sheriff has dismissed the possibility that Guthrie, who lives alone, may have wandered away from her home because he said she doesn’t have any cognitive issues and her mobility is limited.
Authorities have been searching for Guthrie since Sunday. She was last seen at her home Saturday night, but no one knew she was missing until she didn’t show up for church the next morning, Nanos said.
Guthrie takes daily medication, adding additional urgency to the search. Asked if investigators were looking for someone who was still alive, Nanos said, “We hope we are.”
Savannah Guthrie asked people on social media Monday to pray for her mother.
“Thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant,” she said on Instagram. “Raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment. we need you.”
Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images
An official told CBS News that 88-Crime, an Arizona-based, non-profit program that works with law enforcement to help solve crimes, is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for “information leading to the arrest of the person or persons involved in the disappearance.”
Nancy Guthrie’s family has asked residents near her home to review their security footage from over the weekend, especially between the hours of 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Sunday. When CBS News asked Nanos about the time frame, he said the department is starting with a narrow window and will expand outward.
“Keep looking. You never know what you’ll see,” Nanos told CBS News. “Maybe it’s just a pair of headlights. But if you see something that just doesn’t seem right in that neighborhood, please let us know. We can come and download all your digital evidence and take a look at it ourselves.”
Lewis Hamilton’s love life is back in the headlines as new details have resurfaced about his past connections with the Kardashians.
The F1 star, 41, reportedly sparked romance rumors with model Kendall Jenner years before his reported love speculations with Kim Kardashian.
Lewis and Kim reportedly had a very romantic stay at the 85-acre estate which is known for hosting the rich and famous.
The mother of four reportedly flew in from Los Angeles on her private jet, meanwhile Lewis arrived by helicopter.
However, back in the time when Kendall and Lewis’ romance rumours all over the internet, the 30-year-old star was seen wearing his gold chain during the Monaco Grand Prix but the F1 star denied anything romantic, saying they were just friends.
Though the racing driver has always said that his friendship with the super model was good and they were just friends, but fans continued to wonder if they were more than friends before Kim entered.
With Lewis now reportedly dating Kim, the focus has shifted now but the old rumors remain a talking point for celebrity watchers around the world.
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