Posted on 07/16/2002 1:41:32 PM PDT by knighthawk
THE British-born militant sentenced to hang for the murder of US journalist Daniel Pearl was secretly offered an amnesty by British officials in 1999 if he would betray his links with al-Qa'ida.
The offer was made when Omar Sheikh was in an Indian prison accused of kidnapping three English tourists, The Times reported.
Security chiefs knew of his terrorist credentials but believed he had crucial information about Western recruits to militant Islamic groups. He refused to co-operate. One senior security source said: "We underestimated the evil this man would commit."
A court in Hyderabad, Pakistan, on Monday sentenced Omar to death for abducting and murdering Pearl, and handed life sentences to his three accomplices.
The US yesterday hailed the conviction, citing the verdicts as evidence of Islamabad's commitment to its anti-terror campaign.
"The administration welcomes Pakistan's verdict in this matter," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.
"Daniel Pearl was brutally executed, and Pakistan's court system has now ruled. This is a further example of Pakistan showing leadership in the war against terror."
Pearl's murder was seen by some as calculated to embarrass Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, who has emerged as a key US ally in the anti-terror campaign launched in Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks.
The US State Department said it was "gratified" by the verdicts.
"This is an important step in bringing to justice the perpetrators of this vicious crime," said spokesman Richard Boucher.
Pearl, 38, was exploring the underworld of Pakistani militants when he disappeared in Karachi on January 23.
His family in the US said they were "grateful" for Pakistan's work to bring those guilty of the journalist's kidnap and murder to justice.
The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, said it continued to seek justice for its slain South Asia correspondent and said the verdicts were "one step in that direction".
"We continue to mourn Danny Pearl," said Steven Goldstein, vice-president of Dow Jones & Co, the newspaper's publisher.
"And we continue to hope that everyone responsible for his kidnapping and murder will be brought to justice."
Omar, Salman Squib, Fahad Nasim and Sheikh Adil were convicted under Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Act. The life sentences given to Omar's accomplices usually run to 25 years.
From The Times, AFP correspondents in London and Hyderabad
I can't believe anyone would think Danny Pearl was murdered to "embarrass" Musharraf. Pearl was murdered because he was an investigative journalist, and asked the wrong questions. Sheesh, these people are a con-man's dream.
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