Sunday, August 07, 2005
Militant arrested in Pearl case admits ties with Qaeda
LAHORE: A captured Islamic militant accused of arranging an initial meeting between slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl and his kidnappers has confessed to working with senior Al Qaeda operatives, police said on Saturday.
Police arrested Hashim Qadeer on July 28 in Gujranwala in connection with Pearl’s murder. The American reporter was kidnapped on January 23, 2002, in Karachi and later beheaded.
“He (Qadeer) confessed to receiving guidance and instructions from Al Qaeda’s men like Ahmed Omar Sheikh and Amjad Hussain Farooqi,” said Zafar Abbas, Gujranwala’s police chief. “He has confessed to some robberies also,” he added. Abbas wouldn’t say, however, whether Qadeer received instructions specifically related to Pearl’s kidnapping and murder. British-born Ahmed Omar Sheikh has been sentenced to death for masterminding Pearl’s murder.
Amjad Hussain Farooqi, a reputed Al Qaeda point man, was linked to the slaying and died last year in a shootout with security forces. Three other defendants in the case — Fahad Naseem, Salman Saqib and Sheikh Mohammed Adeel — were given life sentences. All have appealed.
Qadeer will soon be handed over to investigators in Karachi, Abbas said. Pearl was working on a story about alleged links between Al Qaeda member Richard Reid — the so-called shoe bomber — and Islamic militants in Pakistan when he disappeared. The journalist’s execution and beheading was videotaped by his kidnappers and his remains were found in May, 2002, in a shallow grave on Karachi’s outskirts. Five suspects in the murder remain at large.
agencies
Daily Times - All Rights Reserved