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| India-Pakistan |
| US Now Convinced: KSM Killed Pearl |
| 2003-10-22 |
| Al Qaeda Chief Tied to Murder U.S. Says 9/11 Planner Killed Wall Street Journal’s Pearl By Dan Eggen Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, October 22, 2003 EFL and Fair Use U.S. investigators have concluded that Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was slain by Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the senior al Qaeda leader believed to be the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, sources familiar with the case said yesterday. Although Mohammed has long been suspected of playing a direct role in Pearl’s kidnapping and death -- and was named by two Pakistani defendants as the actual killer more than a year ago -- U.S. officials said previously that they did not have enough evidence to confirm those allegations. But two U.S. officials said yesterday that new information obtained in recent months has confirmed that Mohammed slit the reporter’s throat with a knife in January 2002. Mohammed was captured in March at a safe house in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and has since been held and interrogated by U.S. forces at an undisclosed location. "It is true that the U.S. government now believes that KSM was responsible for Pearl’s death," said one U.S. official, referring to the common shorthand used to identify Mohammed. "Before, we simply didn’t know, but we have now moved towards thinking that we do. Our view on the likelihood that he did it has certainly hardened." The official declined to comment on what evidence led to the new U.S. view of the case, which was first reported yesterday by the Journal. The conclusion adds a new element to the portrait of Mohammed. An ethnic Pakistani, he has been identified as one of Osama bin Laden’s closest aides, but was previously viewed primarily as an organizer and coordinator of large-scale terrorist attacks. -- More -- © 2003 The Washington Post Company Confirmation. I hope our guys haven’t been wearing gloves with this scumbag... certainly, they should take them off, now - he is forfeit. |
| Posted by:.com |
| #2 I'd be willing to bet that he is being held in relative comfort because he is being milked for any additional information he may have on future attacks. That is if he is even talking. I remember reading that when captured he was concerned for his family, namely his 2 or 3 young sons. It wouldn't suprise me to find out that they've been moved to be close to him. I'd hope he is being kept in a hole in the ground and getting the shit kicked out of him daily,perhaps losing an appendage or two along the way, but I seriously doubt it. If he really did kill Pearl - he'll get a pass on it. Justice isn't always blind. |
| Posted by: Mike 2003-10-22 1:58:30 PM |
| #1 Does this rule out the possible al'Fuqra tie to Pearl's murder, or has this just tied al'Fuqra to al'Qaeda? |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2003-10-22 1:44:06 PM |