Media Watch: The Response

Media Watch

Full Coverage of the September 11th Attacks

Media Watch:
The Daniel Pearl Case

Alleged 9/11 Plotter Killed Pearl, U.S. Officials Say
Update: U.S. authorities have told The Wall Street Journal they now have credible evidence that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, personally murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan early last year.
(10/22/03)

DNA Tests Confirm Body is Pearl's
Update: Pakistani officials confirm that DNA tests showed a decapitated body found in a shallow grave in the southern port city of Karachi in May was that of Daniel Pearl, the murdered Wall Street Journal reporter. (7/29/02)

Pakistani Judge Convicts Four Men for Pearl Murder
Update: A judge in Pakistan convicted British-born Islamic militant Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh to death by hanging, and three more men to 25 years imprisonment for the kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. (7/15/02)

Pearl Trial Ends; Verdict Set for Monday
Update: A Pakistani judge is set to announce a verdict Monday in the trial of four Pakistani militants accused of the kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. (7/10/02)

Pakistani Court Views Pearl Videotape
Update: Prosecutors in the trial of four militants accused of the kidnapping and murder of Daniel Pearl on Tuesday played a graphic three-minute tape showing the Wall St. Journal reporter's throat being slashed, lawyers said.

On the tape, prosecutors say Pearl is forced to say that he is Jewish, then has his throat cut after he is unconscious or already dead.

Defense lawyers denounced the tape, presented to the court by U.S. FBI agent John Folgon, as a "fake." Attorney Rai Bashir told reporters "it is clear that the video has been manipulated by computers." Prosecutors refused to comment on the tape or reaction to it within the courtroom.

The trial of prime suspect Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, a British-born Islamic militant, and his three co-defendants began under heavy security last month in Karachi, the city in which Pearl was last seen alive. The trial was later moved 75 miles east to the city of Hyderabad because of continued security concerns. (5/14/02)

Police Say Militant Admitted to Role in Pearl Abduction
Update: Two policemen tell a Pakistani court they heard militant Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh admit to planning the kidnapping of murdered Wall St. Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. (4/23/02)

Pearl Trial Begins
Update: Four men accused of helping to kill Daniel Pearl appear before a Pakistani court and plead not guilty. (4/22/02)

Conversation with Mariane Pearl
Jim Lehrer talks with Mariane Pearl, wife of slain journalist Daniel Pearl. (3/18/02)

U.S. Indicts Suspect in Killing of Wall Street Journal Reporter
Update: A federal grand jury in New Jersey has indicted a key suspect in the kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the decision Thursday.

Islamic militant Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who is currently being held in Pakistan, is charged with hostage-taking and conspiracy to commit hostage-taking, resulting in the death of Pearl.

Ashcroft said the Justice Department is in discussions with Pakistani authorities about extraditing Saeed for trial in the United States. No agreement has been reached. (3/14/02)

RealAudio: Attorney General Ashcroft announces the indictment. (3/14/02)

US, Pakistan to Discuss Extraditing Suspect in Pearl Case
Update: While President Bush says he is "satisfied" with Pakistan's response to the abduction and killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, he said the U.S. is "interested in dealing with" the Islamic militant accused of masterminding Pearl's kidnapping. (2/25/02)

WSJ Reporter Pearl Confirmed Dead
Terence Smith talks with Felicity Barringer of The New York Times about the death of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. (2/21/02)

RealAudio: A statement on the Pearl story from Wall Street Journal Managing Editor Paul Steiger. (2/21/02)

Pakistan Arrests Top Suspect in Pearl Kidnapping
Update: Police arrest 27-year-old Islamic militant Omar Saeed Sheikh, who has reportedly said that abducted Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl is still alive. (2/12/02)

Pakistani Officials Charge Three in Pearl Kidnapping
Update: Police in Pakistan arrest three men in the kidnapping Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. (2/8/02)

Militants Threaten to Kill Kidnapped Reporter
Update: A second e-mail message allegedly sent by the kidnappers of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl said the group may execute Pearl within 24 hours.

The message also demanded that all American journalists must leave Pakistan within three days or face possible abduction. (1/30/02)

Pakistani Police Search For Missing Wall St. Journal Reporter
Update: Pakistani police Tuesday said they had made progress in the search for missing Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, but did not provide further details.

A Pakistani militant group had e-mailed several U.S. news organizations over the weekend with pictures of Pearl in shackles and, in one photo, with a gun to his head. Pearl has been missing since last Wednesday. (1/29/02)

Terence Smith talks with two regional experts about the Pearl kidnapping. (1/29/02)

Pakistani Group Claims It Kidnapped U.S. Reporter
Update: An unknown Pakistani militant group says in an e-mail message to U.S. news organizations it has kidnapped Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. (1/28/02)