Possible al-Qaida link to Pearl murder

An al-Qaida militant arrested last week with the alleged September 11 organiser, Ramzi Binalshibh, has been identified as one of the killers of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.If the shoes identification is confirmed, it will be the first evidence that al-Qaida may have been involved in Pearls abduction and murder. The identification was made by Fazal Karim, a Pakistani who is being held in conjunction - but has not been charged - with the kidnapping and murder of Pearl, according to a senior police official.The police official refused to identify the alleged Pearl killer by name but said he was not among the five people, including Mr Binalshibh, who were handed over to the US authorities on Monday and flown out of Pakistan.Pearl, the WSJs south Asia correspondent, was kidnapped in January while investigating links between Pakistani militants and the so-called shoe bomber, Richard Reid, who was arrested in December on a flight from Paris to Miami.The reporters dismembered body was found in May in a shallow grave in Karachi. Police officials said they were led to the grave by Mr Karim and two others.It is unclear what impact the revelation will have on the case against the four Pakistani militants convicted of Pearls abduction in July. British-born Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh was sentenced to death by hanging and the three others received life sentences. All have appealed.Pearls body was found after the trial of the four had already begun. The government has not charged Mr Karim and the two others and has not confirmed they are being held.However, police officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Associated Press last month that the three men gave them detailed accounts of Pearls days in captivity. They said a group of Arabs, believed to be Yemenis, cut Pearls throat three days after he tried to escape.

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