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— KARACHI (Reuters) - Five Islamic militants pleaded not guilty on Saturday to killing 12 people in a car bomb attack on the U.S. consulate in the Pakistani city of Karachi last June, a defense lawyer said.

The five accused were brought before a special anti-terrorism court at Karachi's central jail and charged with murder, attempted murder, terrorism and use of explosives.

All are members of al-Almi, an offshoot of the radical Harkat-ul-Mujahideen organization, which is accused both of masterminding the June 14 consulate bombing and conspiring to kill President Pervez Musharraf.

Three of the five suspects -- Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Hanif and Mohammad Ashraf -- were put on trial in August but the judge decided to restart the case when two more were arrested. They are the alleged ringleader, identified as Shahib Arslan, and Zubair Ahmed.

"All the five accused pleaded not guilty and had told the court that they are falsely implicated in the case," Abdul Waheed Katpar, one of the defense lawyers, told reporters outside the Karachi central prison.

The hearing was adjourned till April 7, he added.

The car bomb exploded outside the consulate and all the victims were Pakistanis. At least 20 people were wounded.

Harkat-ul-Mujahideen has long been on a U.S. blacklist of terrorist organizations and reportedly has links to Muslim separatists fighting Indian rule in the disputed Kashmir region.

Islamic militant groups have been incensed by Pakistan's decision to turn its back on the Taliban in Afghanistan and support the U.S.-led war on terror after the attacks on the United States last year.

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