Title:
Key suspect in Pearl's kidnap case found dead
Author:
Publication: The Times of
India
Date: Feb 1,2002
URL:
http://www.timesofindia.com/articleshow.asp?art_ID=1767865217
ISLAMABAD: Investigations into the kidnapping of US journalist Daniel Pearl
suffered a major setback on Thursday as a prime suspect in the case was found
dead in mysterious circumstances even as his kidnappers extended by a day the
deadline to kill him.
"We will give you one more day," an unsigned e-mail purpotedly sent by
the kidnappers of the Wall Street Journal reporter to Pakistani and western
media, hours after the expiry of the 24 hours deadline this afternoon, said.
"If America will not meet our demands we will kill Pearl. Then this cycle
will continue and no American journalist can enter Pakistan," the message
said.
The kidnappers had demanded the release of all Pakistani nationals detained by
the US military at the base in Cuba be returned to Pakistan for trial.
Inspector General of Police of Pakistan's southern Sindh province Syed Kamal
Shah told reporters in Karachi that a key suspect called Aarif, who was believed
to have detailed knowledge of Pearl's kidnapping was found dead by a special
police team at Ahmedpur East in Punjab province today.
He, however, declined to go into details of how Aarif was killed and where but
said he has ordered an inquiry to ascertain the cause of his death, according to
official APP news agency.
A local journalist from Rawalpindi has confirmed that Pearl had met Aarif before
the American journalist went missing on January 23, the news agency quoted him
as saying.
Shah said that with the death of Aarif an important clue to locate Pearl has
been lost.
The news of the death of the prime suspect followed allegations by Pakistan's
Defence Spokesman Maj. Gen. Rashid Qureshi that there was an Indian linkage to
the abduction, a charge denied by India.