A lawsuit filed in Brooklyn federal court today by Marianne Pearl (above) seeks unspecified damages for acts it alleges were meant to 'emotionally destroy the Pearl family.'
Posted on 07/19/2007 12:58:36 AM PDT by Stoat
Breaking News
Wednesday, July 18th 2007, 2:36 PM
A lawsuit filed in Brooklyn federal court today by Marianne Pearl (above) seeks unspecified damages for acts it alleges were meant to 'emotionally destroy the Pearl family.'
A complaint filed Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court by Mariane Pearl and her husband's estate alleges Habib Bank Limited of Karachi knowingly provided financial services for al-Qaida and other terrorist groups.
Backed by the bank, terrorists "carried out the kidnapping, ransom, torture, execution and dismemberment of Daniel Pearl and broadcast those images nationwide," the lawsuit said. The suit seeks unspecified damages for acts it alleges were meant to "emotionally destroy the Pearl family and terrorize, appall and frighten American citizens."
Also named as a defendant in the suit is Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the imprisoned al-Qaida No. 3 leader and mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, along with an outlawed Islamic charity, the al-Rashid Trust.
The suit claims the trust, which banked with Habib, was a front for Mohammed and al-Qaeda that "abetted and conspired" in the Pearl slaying. Pakistan banned the charity earlier this year as part of an effort to dry up terrorist financing.
There was no immediate response to a message left with the bank's Manhattan office. Late last year, U.S. regulators announced that the bank had agreed to bolster policies aimed at detecting abuses by terrorist financiers, money launderers and other criminals.
Mariane Pearl, a French citizen, said in a statement that she hoped the suit would compel the defendants to provide more answers about her husband's death.
"I am looking for the truth of what happened to Daniel, for our family, our friends, and the public record," she said. "This process allows us to delve deeper into the investigation, and to bring accountability and punishment to those involved with his kidnapping, torture and murder."
Pearl, the South Asia bureau chief for the Journal, was abducted from Karachi while researching a story on Islamic militancy. His remains were later found in a shallow grave in Karachi's eastern outskirts.
During the ordeal, the kidnappers used the victim's cell phone "to call and threaten plaintiff Mariane Pearl, who was in Pakistan searching for Daniel," the suit said. "Realizing she did not speak Urdu, the kidnappers hung up."
Pakistan has convicted several men in the case. British-born Islamic militant Ahmed Omar Saeed Shaikh was sentenced to death in July 2002 and his three accomplices were given life prison terms. Their appeals are pending before the Sindh High Court.
Mohammed was caught in Pakistan and is now being held at the U.S. prison for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He claimed he personally beheaded Pearl, according to a partial Pentagon transcript of his testimony at a military tribunal.
Maybe this is because “A Mighty Heart” did half of the box office of “Waitress”.
Bad terrorists, bad, bad.
Five years after the event, and she’s sueing a bank.
I have no problem with taking terrorist money from any accounts in which it is proven to be hidden. If she can get them in court more power to her.
Well, at least she didn't get on Cindy Sheehan's bandwagon. Perhaps some good will come of it, who knows? It will be interesting to see how far they can get with this.
It's all so convoluted though.....a French citizen suing a Pakistani bank through a Brooklyn court. This looks like one of those things that will drag on for a very, very long time.
Yeah, she should just go kill the nearest terrorist or two as violently as possible. No, wait, if she did that there's probably be a senate investigation headed by Dick Turdbin with Karl Lenin looking over the top of his glasses and talking down his nose to the widow. Its frustrating, but you do what you can do sometimes.
Who cares that it is probably futile? At least she is standing up to and fighting against terrorists and their supporters. I applaud her.
So, how’d you like to be the guy to serve that summons....
LMAO!
For that job, I would want to bring along a few extra pieces of equipment :-)
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