AN IMAM IN southern Florida and two of his sons have been charged with providing roughly $50,000 to the Pakistani Taliban, which the US State Department has designated as a terrorist organisation.

The three US citizens have been charged along with three others who are at large in Pakistan.

The Pakistani Taliban yesterday claimed responsibility for two blasts in northwestern Pakistan which killed 80 people yesterday.

The attacks were in retaliation for the US’ killing of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan nearly two weeks ago which has heightened tensions between the US and Pakistan.

The US Attorney’s office in Miami says Hafiz Muhammed Sher Ali Khan and sons Irfan Khan and Izhar Khan were arrested on Saturday morning.

Hafiz Khan is the imam at Miami Mosque, also known as Flagler Mosque, and Izhar Khan is the imam at Jamaat Al-Mumineen Mosque in nearby Margate.

Officials say the mosques are not suspected of wrongdoing.

Authorities say Hafiz Khan also owned a religious school that trained militants. The indictment also names three others at large in Pakistan, including Hafiz Khan’s daughter and grandson.

Those three have been named as Ali Rehman, Alam Zeb and Amina Khan.

The four count indictment includes possible 15-year jail terms, BBC reports, with Hafiz and Izhar Khan expected in court in Miami on Monday with Irfan Khan, who was was arrested in Los Angeles, expected to appear in court there.

Attempts to reach the men, their attorneys and their mosques were unsuccessful.

- additional reporting from AP