Karachi blast suspects charged

An earlier trial was halted after more arrests were made

Five men have been formally charged by a Pakistani court with involvement in an attack on the US consulate in the city of Karachi, in which 12 people died.

The car bomb killed 12 people

The men - who are alleged to belong to a radical offshoot of the Harakat ul-Mujahideen group - all pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, terrorism and aiding and abetting terrorism.

The charges carry the death penalty.

Their trial has been set for 19 November.

The blast at the US consulate last June was one of several deadly attacks by suspected Islamic militants against foreign targets in Pakistan this year.

Retrial ordered

Three of the five men went on trial in August, but the case was halted and a retrial ordered when more suspects were arrested.

The men who went on trial also faced separate charges of plotting to kill President Musharraf by exploding a bomb near his motorcade in Karachi.

According to police, the Pakistani leader survived because the bomb failed to detonate.

It is alleged the same vehicle was later used in the blast outside the US Karachi mission, following which the consulate was moved to a new, secret location.

The prosecution says it has drawn up a list of some 50 witnesses for the new trial, which is expected to take place inside Karachi's central prison for security reasons.

Radical Islamic groups have been angered by President Musharraf's decision to break ties with the Taleban and support the US-led war in Afghanistan.