In a setback for federal law-enforcement agencies, a judge in the United States has ordered the release of Masoud Ahmad Khan who was arrested and charged with helping the Lashkar-e-Tayiba's terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

Magistrate Judge T Rawles Jones of the district court of Alexandria freed Khan at a bail hearing yesterday, three days after the justice department announced indictments against Khan and 10 other Muslims from the Washington area, charging them with training to work with terrorists to fight for Islamist causes abroad.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation described Khan as a naturalised American, but did not disclose the country of his birth. He is said to have downloaded pictures of the FBI headquarters from the Internet.

The government called the group "a violent Virginia jihad network" and wanted Khan and others held as "a menace to the community". (Of the 11, three are said to be in Saudi Arabia.)

Judge Jones said he took into account Khan's lack of a criminal record and "substantial ties to the community" in addition to "the nature of the ofences charged".

But he ordered that Khan, who lives in a Maryland suburb, be electronically monitored.

It was, however, unclear whether Khan would be released to his mother's custody before the government's appeal against his release is heard, The Washington Post reported.

Prosecutors said they would make the appeal by today.

Under federal court rules, the appeal will be heard in the US district court, which ranks above a hearing before a magistrate judge.

PTI