Pakistan Arrests Pearl Murder Suspect, Colleague

Reuters ^ | 2/17/04 | By Amir Zia

[happygrl]

KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani police have arrested two Islamic militants, including one suspected of involvement in the kidnap and killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, an officer said Tuesday.

The two men, Sajid Jabbar and Mohammad Athar, were arrested in an overnight raid in the port city of Karachi and belong to the outlawed Lashkar-e-Jhangvi group, Fayyaz Leghari, chief of the investigation branch of Karachi police, told Reuters.

Another senior officer, who did not want to be identified, said Jabbar was suspected of involvement in the kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Pearl in 2002 as well as several other militant attacks.

"He carries a reward of 500,000 rupees ($8,700) on his head," the officer said.

He said Jabbar was a close associate of Asif Ramzi, another suspect in the murder of Pearl, who blew himself up while making bombs in Karachi in December 2002.

Leghari said Jabbar and Athar were suspected of planning fresh attacks in Karachi. "We have seized a huge amount of weapons and explosives from their possession," he said.

Athar was the chief of the Sindh provincial wing of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and wanted for at least 10 separate terror attacks, including sending parcel bombs to senior police officers.

"Their arrest is a big success for the police and a blow to the terrorists," Leghari said.

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, which has ties with the Taliban regime which formerly ruled Afghanistan (news - web sites) and the al Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden (news - web sites), is also blamed for a May 2002 suicide bombing in Karachi in which 11 French technicians and three Pakistanis were killed.

Pearl was kidnapped and murdered in Karachi in early 2002 while researching a story on Islamic militants against a backdrop of the September 11 attacks on the United States.

A British-born militant, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, better known as Sheikh Omar, was sentenced to death in July 2002 for masterminding his murder. Omar has denied the charge and lodged an appeal.

[Cap Huff]

FYI

[happygrl]

Ping

The Great Game continues.

[nuconvert]

Glad they got them.
Thanks for the ping.

[OldFriend]

Another benefit of President Bush's dealings with Pakistan. Without them we would be in a world of trouble with the taliban and al qaeda fighters.

We use the hand we are dealt and President Bush has done well.

[The Raven]

We never hear anything after the capture news........they must torture the hell out of them

[Montfort]

So what does this guy get, a pardon and a generous pension for life?

[Rander7]

I went back and saw the murder video of Daniel Pearl, and I'm again outraged!People need to NEVER FORGET what these pieces of scum did to this poor man! http://aztlan.net/pearlvideo.htm

[Grampa Dave]

Hopefully, they will be "persuaded" to connect some links between al Fuqra over there and al Fuqra in America.

Maybe this was why the truck with the explosives was caught going from the US to Canada.

[Cinnamon Girl]

I hope that isn't a link to the video of his murder.

[Credo]

Krauthammer on Fox News last night mentioned what it took to sway Mussharraff on Afghanistan.

It's called 3 aircraft carriers.

[Cinnamon Girl]

Interesting that this happens the day after Marianne Pearl's letter detailing the corruption of the Pakistani "government" and lack of action regarding the Sheikh Omar trial.

[happygrl]

I hate the fact that Azlan is using this video as a "come on" to their site. They are actually pro-Islamic, anti-Semites terrorists, and use the video to disparage both the US and Israel.

[happygrl]

We just keep pulling the aces out of our deep pockets.

The pressure on Mushareff is intense. He must be begging to be put into a witness protection program before we are forced to do something really lethal to Pakistan.

[Cinnamon Girl]

If that is true, then the moderators should please pull that particular link, so as not to connect people to them. It is a fact that there are Islamoterrorist groups around the world which use the Daniel Pearl murder tape to celebrate and instigate attacks on Jews.

[Prince Charles]

Score one more for the good guys.

[js1138]

Another benefit of President Bush's dealings with Pakistan.

That can't be. Bush has alienated all our allies.