A Pakistani baby charged with attempted murder is now on the run

AFP/Getty Images

A Pakistani baby charged with attempted murder is now on the run
(Image credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Instead of celebrating Baby's First Word or Baby's First Steps, one family in Pakistan is dealing with Baby's First Criminal Prosecution. Nine-month-old Musa Khan has been charged with attempted murder in Lahore, and his family is now in hiding. "We have had to move to a secret place because we are poor and the police are putting huge pressure on us to manipulate the case," says Muhammad Yain, Musa's grandfather.

Musa and four others were booked last week for taking part in a riot that broke out in a Lahore slum, The Guardian reports. After public outcry, one police officer has been suspended for his role in the investigation, and authorities are looking into how a baby who likely can't walk upright for more than a few seconds became accused of throwing stones at gas company workers and police officers with the intent to kill.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.