Global InformationAhmed Omar Saeed Sheikh information
Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh | |
|---|---|
 Sheikh captured by Pakistani police | |
| Born | 23 December 1973 London, England |
| Education | London School of Economics (did not graduate) |
| Organizations |
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| Known for |
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| Criminal charge(s) | Kidnapping, murder |
| Criminal penalty |
|
| Criminal status | Imprisoned at Kot Lakhpat Jail |
| Spouse | Saadia Rauf (m. 2000–present) |
| Children | 1 (son) |
Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh (Urdu: احمد عمر سعید شیخ; sometimes known as Umar Sheikh, Sheikh Omar,[notes 1] Sheik Syed or by the alias Mustafa Muhammad Ahmad;[1] born 23 December 1973) is a British Pakistani terrorist. He became a member of the Islamist jihadist group Harkat-ul-Ansar or Harkat-ul-Mujahideen in the 1990s, and later of Jaish-e-Mohammed and was closely associated with Al-Qaeda.[a][b][3][4]
He was arrested-in-action during the 1994 kidnappings of Western tourists in India and served time in Indian prisons. He was released in 1999 and was provided safe passage into Afghanistan with the support of the Taliban in exchange for passengers aboard the hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814. He is best-known for his role in the kidnapping and subsequent murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002.[5][6]
Sheikh was arrested by Pakistani police on 12 February 2002, in Lahore, in connection with the Pearl kidnapping and was sentenced to death on 15 July 2002 by a special judge of an anti terrorism court for murdering Pearl.[7][8] His complicity in the murder and the reasons behind it are in dispute. At his initial court appearance, he stated, "I don't want to defend this case. I did this ... Right or wrong, I had my reasons. I think that our country shouldn't be catering to America's needs",[9] but he subsequently appealed his conviction for murder, only admitting his role in the kidnapping of Pearl. Saeed's lawyer has stated he will base his client's appeal on the admission of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, made public in 2007, that he is the killer of Daniel Pearl.[10][11][12][13][14][15] Sheikh's murder conviction was overturned (along with that of his accomplices Fahad Nasim Ahmed, Syed Salman Saqib and Sheikh Mohammad Adil) by Pakistan's Sindh High Court on 2 April 2020, and his seven-year sentence for kidnapping was considered as time-served.[16] As of March 2021[update], he is imprisoned at the Kot Lakhpat Jail, Lahore (where he had been shifted to from Central Prison Karachi) but has been moved out of death row while his acquittal for Pearl's murder is in appeal at the Supreme Court of Pakistan.[17]
Cite error: There are <ref group=notes> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=notes}} template (see the help page).
- ^ CNN.com 6 October 2001. "Suspected hijack bankroller freed by India in '99". CNN. 6 October 2001. Archived from the original on 7 April 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2006.
- ^ Harakat-ul-Mujahedeen. Center for International Security and Cooperation. Foreign Service Institute. Stanford University.
- ^ "Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh". Counter Extremism Project. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Masood, Salman (2 April 2020). "Pakistani Court Overturns Conviction in 2002 Killing of Daniel Pearl". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 15 May 2020.
- ^ Shah, Saeed (3 April 2020). "Pakistani Court Overturns Murder Conviction in Killing of Wall Street Journal Reporter Daniel Pearl". Wall Street Journal – via www.wsj.com.
- ^ CNN Transcript "Suspected Mastermind of Pearl Killing Arrested". CNN. 7 February 2001. Retrieved 29 June 2006. 12 February 2002.
- ^ Ansari, Massoud. "The Mystery Thickens". Archived from the original on 7 February 2006. Retrieved 29 June 2006. Newsline April 2005.
- ^ "Kidnap journalist is dead, claims militant". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 29 June 2006.
- ^ Sadaqat Jan (18 March 2007). "Lawyer to Appeal Pearl Case Conviction". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Daniel Pearl's murder: Omar to utilise Khalids claim". Daily Times. 19 March 2007.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
LawfareDidKsmKillPearlwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
PearlAnalysiswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
WashingtonPost2011-01-20was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
TheTelegraphUK2011-01-20was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Iqbal, Nasir (27 March 2021). "Prosecution failed to prove guilt of main accused in Daniel Pearl case: SC". Dawn.com. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ^ Bhatti, Haseeb (25 March 2021). "Daniel Pearl murder case: SC allows Omar Saeed Sheikh to be moved to Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail". Dawn.com. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
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