Four men who were sentenced to life in prison for the death of Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl, but who were later exonerated, will remain in prison for three more months, officials said Thursday.
Man who decapitated American journalist Daniel Pearl to be released from Pakistan prison
Just a day before the announcement, the Supreme Court of Pakistan confirmed Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh’s reversed conviction for murder and paved the way for his release as early as this week.
But Karachi Central Prison Superintendent Hasan Sehtoo said Thursday that Sheikh and three others will remain in custody until September 30, in accordance with a law that allows authorities to detain any suspect for up to a year. He said the order claims that the men’s release would threaten public safety.
Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, the alleged mastermind of the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl, arrives on March 29, 2002 at the provincial high court in Karachi, Pakistan. (Photo from Getty Images)
The other three men, Fahad Naseem, Sheikh Adil and Salman Saqib, were acquitted of their charges in April for lack of evidence, but remained in prison through a 90-day extension to accommodate the ongoing legal proceedings, which expired. 1st of July.
Pearl, 38, was the head of the WSJ office for South Asia and was in Pakistan reporting on extremism after the September 11 attacks when he was kidnapped and beheaded in January 2002.
In this April 15, 2007 file photo, Dr. Judea Pearl, father of American journalist Daniel Pearl, who was killed by terrorists in 2002, speaks in Miami Beach, Florida (AP Photo / Wilfredo Lee, File)
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The kidnapping charge against the British-born sheikh was the only one that was still upheld after review by the Sindh High Court and carried a seven-year sentence. At that time, he had already spent 18 years in prison on death row and his seven-year sentence for kidnapping was counted as time served.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
