ISLAMABAD: The United States Justice Department released a statement by Acting Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen on Wednesday, thanking the Pakistan government for its appeal against a court order acquitting Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, a British-born Pakistani man convicted over the 2002 beheading of the Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.
Last week, while hearing an appeal from the family of Sheikh against his detention despite a court acquitting him in April, the Sindh High Court ordered Sheikh’s immediate release but said his name be put on a no-fly list.
Sheikh was sentenced to death and three others to life in prison for their role in the plot in 2002. A lower Pakistani court acquitted Sheikh and three others this year in a move that has stunned the US government, Pearl’s family and journalism advocacy groups.
The acquittal is now being appealed separately by the Pakistan government and Pearl’s family in the Supreme Court.
The Pakistan government has opposed Sheikh’s release from prison, saying it would endanger the public. He was to remain in custody until the appeals are resolved.
“We understand that Pakistani authorities are taking steps to ensure that Omar Sheikh remains in custody while the Supreme Court appeal seeking to reinstate his conviction continues,” the statement by Rosen said. “The separate judicial rulings reversing his conviction and ordering his release are an affront to terrorism victims everywhere.”
He added: “We remain grateful for the Pakistani government’s actions to appeal such rulings to ensure that he and his co-defendants are held accountable. If, however, those efforts do not succeed, the United States stands ready to take custody of Omar Sheikh to stand trial here. We cannot allow him to evade justice for his role in Daniel Pearl’s abduction and murder.”
Sheikh had been convicted of helping lure Pearl to a meeting in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi in which he was kidnapped. Pearl had been investigating the link between Pakistani militants and Richard C. Reid, dubbed the “Shoe Bomber” after trying to blow up a flight from Paris to Miami with explosives hidden in his shoes.
Pearl, 38, of Encino, California, was abducted January 23, 2002. In Sheikh’s original trial, emails between Sheikh and Pearl presented in court showed Sheikh gained Pearl’s confidence by sharing their experiences as both waited for the birth of their first child. Pearl’s wife Marianne Pearl gave birth to a son, Adam, in May 2002.
US says ‘grateful’ to Pakistan for appealing acquittals in Daniel Pearl murder
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US says ‘grateful’ to Pakistan for appealing acquittals in Daniel Pearl murder
- Last week, while hearing an appeal against Sheikh’s detention despite a court acquitting him in April, the Sindh High Court ordered his immediate release
- US acting attorney general says United States “stands ready” to take custody of Omar Sheikh to stand trial in the US, cannot allow him to evade justice
UN Security Council condemns Islamabad mosque bombing claimed by Daesh
- The Council urges accountability, calls for cooperation with Pakistan
- A suicide bomber targeted the mosque during prayers, killing 32 people
ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Security Council said on Friday it condemned a suicide bombing at a mosque on the outskirts of Islamabad that killed at least 32 people, calling the attack “heinous and cowardly” and urging accountability for those responsible.
The blast targeted the Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra mosque and imambargah in the Tarlai Kallan area during Friday prayers on Feb. 6, when mosques across the country were packed with worshippers. Daesh claimed responsibility, saying one of its militants detonated an explosive vest inside the congregation.
In a press statement issued by Council President James Kariuki of the United Kingdom, members of the 15-nation body expressed “deepest sympathy and condolences” to the families of the victims and to the government and people of Pakistan.
“The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly suicide bombing terrorist attack,” the statement said, reaffirming that “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.”
The Council underlined the need to hold “perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors” accountable and urged all states to cooperate actively with the Pakistan government in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions.
Pakistan, which is currently serving as a non-permanent member of the Security Council for the 2025–2026 term, has faced intense militant violence in recent years, including attacks claimed by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Balochistan Liberation Army and Daesh affiliates.
The administration in Islamabad said the day after the attack that a police officer was killed and four suspects were arrested in overnight raids in the northwestern cities of Peshawar and Nowshera.
Among those detained was an Afghan national alleged to have worked for Daesh and to have masterminded the bombing, authorities said.
The Security Council reiterated that acts of such militant violence were criminal and unjustifiable regardless of motivation and reaffirmed the need for states to combat threats to international peace and security in line with the UN Charter and international law.
Earlier this week, Pakistani religious scholars also condemned the bombing at a meeting presided over by Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousuf, saying the attack was contrary to Islamic teachings.
