‘COMPLETE SHOCK’

Convicted Killers of American Journalist Daniel Pearl Told They Can Go Free

Pearl’s family lawyer, Faisal Siddiqi, said they were in “complete shock” at the decision, calling it a “travesty of justice.”

Four men who were convicted of carrying out the 2002 execution of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl have been told they can go free—and they could be back on the streets as early as tomorrow. Pearl was kidnapped in the Pakistani city of Karachi in January 2002 while carrying out an investigation into Al Qaeda. A video of his beheading at the hands of Islamic militants was posted online. Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, a British-born Islamist militant, was previously sentenced to death for his role in Pearl’s kidnapping and killing, and three other men were also convicted for their roles in the plot. On Thursday, Pakistan’s supreme court rejected an appeal from the Pearl family and the Pakistani authorities against a December ruling that all four should be set free. In a statement, Pearl’s family lawyer, Faisal Siddiqi, said they were in “complete shock” at the decision, calling it a “complete travesty of justice.”