US blasts Pakistan court’s decision to acquit accused killer of American journalist

The United States said Thursday it was ready to prosecute the Pakistani man accused of killing US journalist Daniel Pearl.

Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, the main suspect in the 2002 kidnapping and murder of Pearl, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was ordered released by Pakistan’s Supreme Court.

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Pearl, 38, was investigating militants in Karachi after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the US when he was kidnapped. A video of his beheading emerged weeks later.

Sheikh and his co-accused are to be released immediately if they are not required in any other case, the head of the court panel, Justice Mushir Alam, said in a court order.

In this March 29, 2002 file photo, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, the alleged mastermind behind Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl's kidnap-slaying, appears at the court in Karachi, Pakistan. (AP)

But the US was quick to reprimand the Pakistani court for its decision.

A statement from Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that Sheikh was indicted in the US for hostage-taking and conspiracy to commit hostage-taking, as well as the 1994 kidnapping of another American citizen in India.

“The court’s decision is an affront to terrorism victims everywhere, including in Pakistan,” Blinken said.

He also expressed his expectation for the Pakistani government to “expeditiously review its legal options to ensure justice is served.”

Blinken also said that the US was prepared to prosecute Sheikh in the United States. “We are committed to securing justice for Daniel Pearl’s family and holding terrorists accountable.”

Read more:

Appeal opens in Pakistan against acquittal of Briton convicted in Daniel Pearl murder

Pakistan court orders release of man charged in Daniel Pearl killing

- With Reuters