Sher Khan

Sher Khan was born in Swabi, Pakistan, on February 3, 1979, but was living in Rome during the investigation.
He was accused of being part of a terrorist network close to al-Qaeda and other jihadist organisations, operating between Olbia and Rome under the direction of Sultan Wali Khan, and of having planned and perpetrated the Peshawar bombing on October 28, 2009, which caused the deaths of more than 100 people. Twenty-one other people were charged with similar offences, as well as his brother Imitias Khan.
Sher Khan was charged with mass murder under Articles 422 of the Italian Penal Code for having organised in Olbia and carried out in Peshawar the terrorist attack on October 28, 2009. The planning began as early as August 2009 and Sultan Wali Khan, Imitias Khan, Siyar Khan, and Yahya Khan Ridi were also implicated in the planning and execution. He was first informed by Sultan Wali Khan about the planned attack, indicating his early involvement. Sher Khan then discussed an explosive attack with his brother Imitias a few months later. The evidence linking Sher Khan to the attack was strengthened by reports that on October 28, 2009, he was in Peshawar near the explosion site shortly after the attack occurred, confirmed also by phone conversations. The Tribunal of Sassari determined that the evidence was insufficient to prove Sher Khan’s culpability, finding conversations presented by the prosecution as ambiguous and not conclusively linked to the attack.
He was also charged with terrorist association according to Article 270 bis, and Law 4 of March 16, 2006, no. 146. According to court documents, Sher Khan operated under the directives of Sultan Wali Khan and was involved in the fundraising activities in northern Sardinia, he would then transfer the funds to Pakistan through couriers. In particular, Sher Khan was involved in the fundraising efforts aimed at financing a Taliban-oriented madrasa in 2009 headed by Muhammad Siddique’s brother. His role was evident from several conversations. The Tribunal of Sassari found no concrete proof that the money went to terrorist organisations once it arrived in Pakistan, as there was no evidence that is was used for anything other than legitimate purposes.
The prosecution also alleged that Sher Khan has a close relationship with al-Qaeda, as testified by various conversations and events. For example, in March 2010, Ayesha Khan, Imitias’ wife, informed Imitias that Bin Laden had an accident and was treated by a doctor who was a brother-in-law of both Imitias and Sher Khan. This detail pointed to a close personal connection between Sher Khan’s family and Bin Laden. However, the Tribunal of Sassari found these evidences insufficient. The references to Bin Laden and al-Qaeda were either unrelated to terrorist activities, concerned public information, or were too ambiguous to establish a clear link between Sher and al-Qaeda.
Sher Khan could not be tried alongside the others defendants in 2019 because he was a fugitive.