Pakistan Arrests Suspect in Murder of Wall Street Journalist, Daniel Pearl

Pakistani officials arrested a man that they believe may have facilitated the kidnapping of Daniel Pearl, an American journalist at the Wall Street Journal who was abducted in 2002 in Pakistan. Pearl was killed and beheaded by the abductors weeks later. The murders videotaped their killing of Pearl and sent the tape to U.S. officials
Pakistan Arrests Suspect in Murder of Wall Street Journalist, Daniel Pearl
On February 21, 2002, it was confirmed that Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street Journal newspaper reporter who was killed. Pearl was abducted, murdered, and beheaded by Islamic militants in Karachi, Pakistan. (Getty Images)
3/19/2013
Updated:
10/1/2015

Pakistani officials arrested a man that they believe may have facilitated the kidnapping of Daniel Pearl, an American journalist at the Wall Street Journal who was abducted in 2002 in Pakistan. Pearl was killed and beheaded by the abductors weeks later. The murders videotaped their killing of Pearl and sent the tape to U.S. officials. 

<a><img class="size-medium wp-image-1780204" title="This undated photo shows Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street Journal newspaper reporter kidnapped by Islamic militants in Karachi, Pakistan. (Getty Images)" src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/DANIEL-PEARLE-694954-COLOR.jpg" alt="Daniel Pearl" width="262" height="350"/></a>
Daniel Pearl

Daniel Pearl was an American journalist working as the South Asia chief for the Wall Street Journal, covering the “war on terrorism” in Bombay. In 2002, he was abducted while he was covering a story in Karachi, Pakistan.

Pearl was “retracing the steps of ’shoe bomber'” Richard Reid and hoping to meet with Sheik Gilani, a spiritual leader, when he was abducted in Karachi on January 23, 2002,” the Daniel Pearl Foundation states.

Two days before Pearl’s abduction, he learned that his wife, Mariane Pearl, was pregnant with their first child.

In late February 2002, approximately one month after his abduction, it was confirmed that Pearl was murdered, killed and beheaded. His wife gave birth to their son just three months after his murder.

“Four of the kidnappers were convicted on July 15, 2002, including mastermind Omar Saeed Sheik, although others believed to be involved are still at large,” the Danny Pearl Foundation states.

The suspect Qari Abdul Hayee was arrested on Sunday during a paramilitary operation targeting militants in Karachi.  Hayee, also known as Asadullah, is believed to have facilitated Pearl’s abduction, a senior Pakistani official told CNN.

“We were after him for the past three weeks. We had information he was in Karachi,” said a senior Rangers official, speaking by phone on the condition of anonymity, NY Times reports.

The Pakistani paramilitary operation was in response to three bombing in the region this month. The Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militants, a terrorist group in Pakistan, are believed to be responsible for the bombings, according to NY Times. 

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