Washington, July 30: The Bureau of South & Central Asian Affairs, US State Department expressed condolences to the family of Tahir Naseem, an American citizen who was killed inside a courtroom in Pakistan. "We urge Pakistan to take immediate action and pursue reforms that will prevent such a shameful tragedy from happening again," said the country's state department. The incident of the shooting took place at a high-security complex next to the Peshawar high court.

According to a report in the Guardian, Tahir Naseem had been in prison since his arrest in 2018, allegedly after claiming he was a prophet. He is a member of the Ahmedi sect, which is persecuted in Pakistan where they have officially been declared non-Muslims.

US Expresses Condolences to Family of Tahir Naseem, Who Was Killed inside Courtroom in Pakistan: 

Naseem was accused of blasphemy in 2018 by a teenager. He was killed at a trial hearing on Wednesday morning. The video shared on social media showed his body slumped over the court's seats. The accused was arrested at the scene of action. In another video, the accused can be seen in handcuffs, and shouting angrily that his victim was an "enemy of Islam".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 30, 2020 08:52 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).