Posted on 03/21/2002 12:18:29 PM PST by knighthawk
KARACHI: Pakistani police are ready to formally charge British-born militant Sheikh Omar with the murder of abducted US reporter Daniel Pearl, a month after a video depicting his gruesome killing surfaced, a senior investigator said on Thursday.
A charge sheet listing Omar as the chief accused in the kidnap and murder of the Wall Street Journal correspondent would be submitted to an anti-terrorism court here on Friday, the chief investigator in the case Manzoor Mughal said.
"We will submit the charge sheet in the court on Friday," Mughal said.
Public prosecutor Raja Qureshi also confirmed police would submit the charge sheet on Friday. "I don't know whether it will be the final charge-sheet or an interim charge sheet, but a charge sheet will be submitted," Qureshi said.
The submission of the charge sheets is required before a court can determine whether to proceed with a trial.
Another 10 people, seven of whom are still at large, are listed as co-accused in the abduction and murder of Pearl.
Despite holding Omar in custody for more than a month, police have been unable so far to bring formal murder charges against him, citing a lack of evidence, including Pearl's body and the murder weapon.
Omar declared during a court remand appearance on February 14 that he had masterminded Pearl's abduction, and stated that he was dead.
Police have been saying they will charge Omar with murder since the graphic video of the reporter's decapitation was received by US consular officials on February 21.
On Thursday, however, Mughal was optimistic that they had a strong case. "We have not been able to recover either the body, the weapon used in the murder or the remaining accused persons as yet. But our case is still strong," he said.
Several US Federal Bureau of Investigation agents are listed as prosecution witnesses on the charge sheet.
"I cannot give you the exact number of witnesses, but it does include the name of some FBI experts," Mughal said. "The FBI have co-operated with us and its experts have given their opinion on e-mails and the video showing Pearl's murder," he said.
Three men who sent e-mails containing death threats against Pearl and photos of him in captivity are among the listed co-accused.
Salman Saquib, Fahad Naseem and former police intelligence official Sheikh Adil have been in custody since they were arrested early on February for sending the e-mails.
The question of the FBI agents' appearance would arise once the trial begins, Mughal added.
FBI officers have been working with Pakistani investigators since Pearl disappeared in this strife-torn southern port city on January 23 after telling his pregnant wife he was going to interivew a militant leader.
Omar is now the subject of an extradition tussle between Washington and Islamabad.
A US grand jury has indicted Omar, 29, for the kidnapping and murder of Pearl and the 1994 abduction of an American tourist in India, and demanded Pakistan turned him over to US authorities.
Islamabad, however, insists the investigation must be completed before any decision is made on whether to extradite him.
Omar, whose full name is Ahmed Saeed Omar Sheikh, holds both British and Pakistani nationalities.
Mughal said that the FBI agents submitted their expert opinions on the video and the e-mails to Pakistani investigators last week.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.