Bush: Pearl Murder Deepens Our Resolve

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf ordered security forces Friday to apprehend "each and every one of the gang of terrorists" involved in the murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, whose death at the hands of Islamic extremists has been confirmed by U.S. and Pakistani authorities.

In Beijing, President Bush condemned the murder of the kidnapped American, saying such crimes "only deepen the resolve of the United States" to fight terrorism.

"Laura and I, and the American people are deeply saddened to learn about the loss of Daniel Pearl's life," said Mr. Bush. "We are really sad for his wife and his parents and his friends and colleagues, who have been clinging to hopes for weeks that he would be found alive."

Pearl's widow, Mariane, is seven months pregnant and President Bush expressed special sympathy for the unborn child "who will now know his father through the memory of others."

Pearl's parents and siblings in California issued a statement saying his "senseless murder lies beyond our comprehension... He was a walking sunshine of truth, humor, friendship and compassion. We grieve with the many who have known him in his life and we weep for a world that must reckon with his death."

Wall Street Journal publisher Peter Kahn and managing editor Paul Steiger issued a statement saying they are "heartbroken," regard him as a "great reporter and a dear friend," whose killing is "an act of barbarism that makes a mockery of everything that Danny's kidnappers claim to believe in."

A videotape received by the U.S. Consulate in the southern port city of Karachi Thursday "contained scenes showing Mr. Pearl in captivity and scenes of his murder by the kidnappers," said Mukhtar Ahmad Sheikh, interior minister of Sindh province, which includes Karachi.

The video was obtained by a Pakistani journalist who gave it to the U.S. consulate on Thursday, a senior Pakistani official said on condition of anonymity.

Another report on the video says it took about 24 hours from the time the reporter received the tape until he was able to get through to U.S. consulate and arrange to turn over the tape to U.S. officials.

A senior Pakistani official tells Reuters that Pearl's last words before he was killed were that he was a Jew and his father was a Jew.

Pearl's body has not been found, and no details have been released on exactly where or when he was killed, or on whether authorities know those facts.

The 38-year-old journalist was kidnapped here Jan. 23 while researching links between Pakistani extremists and Richard C. Reid, the so-called "shoe bomber" arrested in Deember on a Paris-Miami flight he allegedly boarded with explosives in his sneakers. A federal grand jury in Boston has indicted Reid on terrorism charges.

Pakistani authorities had been maintaining for weeks that they were close to solving the case. Yet there was little sign that they were on the verge of apprehending the remaining suspects.

Four people have been arrested and charged in the case. They include the alleged mastermind, British-born Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, and three men accused of sending e-mails to news organizations announcing Pearl's kidnapping.

On Thursday, one of the jailed suspects, Fahad Naseem, said before a Karachi magistrate that Saeed told him two days before the kidnapping that he was going to seize someone who is "anti-Islam and a Jew."

The kidnappers sent an e-mail Jan. 30 accusing Pearl of being a spy for the Israeli intelligence service, the Mossad. The Journal denied the allegation.

Musharraf expressed his "profound grief" over the killing and ordered security forces "to apprehend each and every member of the gang of terrorists involved in this gruesome murder."

A statement released by Musharraf's office said the president "would stay the course to ensure that his country and indeed this world is free of terror."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also released a statement offering Pakistan's "profound condolences" to Pearl's widow and other members of his family.

"The murderers of Daniel Pearl are dangerous criminals devoid of all humanity and their barbaric act is a crime against Pakistan and an outrage against the cherished values of our society," the statement said.

Saeed, who was arrested last week, admitted his role in the kidnapping during a court appearance Feb. 14. Saeed told the judge that he did not know Pearl's whereabouts but believed the journalist was dead.

Police said it was unclear when Pearl was slain.

Since Saeed's arrest, the focus of the investigation has shifted to Amjad Faruqi, who is believed to have caried out the kidnapping.

Police suspect that Faruqi - known to Pearl by the name Imtiaz Siddiqi - placed two calls to the journalist on the night he disappeared, apparently making Pearl think a meeting was being set up with a senior Islamic militant.

A Karachi businessman involved in the investigation, Jamil Yousuf, said he met Pearl shortly before he disappeared. Pearl received the two calls from Faruqi during a meeting at Yousuf's office, and told the businessman he was going to meet his contact at the Village Restaurant in Karachi. Restaurant employees told police they did not recall seeing Pearl that night.

Faruqi is believed to be a member of Harkat ul-Mujahedeen, a banned Islamic extremist group with ties to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network. Harkat ul-Mujahedeen is active in the struggle against Indian rule in disputed Kashmir, a Himalayan region claimed by both India and Pakistan.

Last week, Pakistan's interior minister, Moinuddin Haider, promised a major break in the case in the next 48 hours. The following day, police raided Faruqi's home village in eastern Punjab province but found no trace of the suspect. They detained Faruqi's two brothers and three other villagers briefly.

Police have mentioned the names of about 10 other suspects. They include Hashim Qadeer, whom Pearl knew as Arif. His family claims, however, that he was killed in Afghanistan.

However, investigators say many of the suspects may be known by aliases. Police admit they are unsure whether one person may appear several times on the suspect list under different names.

Investigators believe, however, that some of the kidnappers may have been involved in the December 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines jet to Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Indian authorities released Saeed and two other Islamic militants in exchange for the 155 passengers and crew. Saeed had been jailed in India in 1994 for kidnapping Western tourists.

Munawaar Hasan, a leader of Pakistan's right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami, or Islamic Party, said his group condemns the killing because it violates the teachings of Islam, but added that Muslims have good reasons to be angry.

The Pearl case was "a reaction to the brutal state terrorism unleashed by America and its ally Israel on Muslims," he said. "Americans should ask themselves the question why they are hated so much. They should reassess their policies."

I.H. Rashid, president of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, which promotes press freedoms in the South Asian country, said his organization strongly condemns Pearl's murder and urges "exemplary punishment" for those responsible.

"Foreign journalists are our guests. We should show them hospitality," he said.

"The incident seems to be a fallout of the Afghan war," he said, adding that "there is anger and bitterness among followers of the extremist groups."