Paul Thompson’s The Terror Timeline is the indispensable research tool for anyone interested in the events leading up to, during, and after the events of September 11th, 2001.
Welcome to the fifth installment of a weekly “series” that will showcase an item found on the Timeline.
More below the fold…
Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl
March 14th, 2002: U.S. Indicts Saeed for Murder of Daniel Pearl
Attorney General Ashcroft announces a second U.S. criminal indictment for Saeed Sheikh, this time for his role in the kidnapping and murder of Daniel Pearl (the Wall Street Journal reporter who, incidentally, was investigating Pakistani ISI involvement in the 9.11 attacks). The amount of background information given about Saed is very brief, and of all his many terrorist acts since he was released from prison in 1999, the only one mentioned is that he fought in Afghanistan with al-Qaeda in September and October 2001. The indictment and Ashcroft fail to mention Saeed’s financing of the 9.11 attacks, and no reporters ask Ashcroft about this earlier. [CNN, 3.14.02; Los Angeles Times, 3.14.02]
It’s worth noting that Saeed Sheikh was known to have strong ties to both Pakistan’s ISI (a fearsome intelligence apparatus) and Mohammad Atta, the “leader” of the 9.11 hijackers:
February 6, 2002: Western Media Largely Ignores Links Between Saeed Sheikh, ISI, and 9.11
Pakistani police publicly name Saeed Sheikh and a terrorist group he belongs to, Jaish-e-Mohammed, as those responsible for reporter Daniel Pearl’s murder. [Observer, 2.24.02] In the next several months, at least 12 Western news articles mention Saeed’s link to al-Qaeda [ABC News, 2.7.02; Boston Globe, 2.7.02; Associated Press, 2.24.02; Los Angeles Times, 3.15.02], including his financing of 9.11, (see Timeline entry for these numerous sources) and at least 16 articles mention his links to the ISI (see Timeline entry). However, many other articles fail to mention either link. Only a few articles consider that Saeed could have been connected to both groups at the same time [London Times, 2.25.02; London Times, 4.21.02; Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 3.3.02], and apparently, only one of these mentions he could be involved in the ISI, al-Qaeda and financing 9.11. [London Times, 4.21.02]. By the time Saeed is convicted of Pearl’s murder in July 2002, Saeed’s possible connections to al-Qaeda and/or the ISI are virtually unreported in U.S. newspapers, while many British newspapers are still making one or the other connection.
Rumsfeld stated that Saeed could very well have been an ISI “asset”. It’s also been reported that FBI Director Mueller was informed by the Indian government that Saeed had wired money to Mohammad Atta while the infamous hijacker was in the U.S.
This is one of the strongest leads for state-sponsored assistance regarding the attacks of Sept. 11th, 2001.
To enter the rabbit hole, click here.
Daniel Pearl image from Rotten.com.
