“The Wall Street Journal” managing editor prepared to work with journalist’s kidnappers to secure his release

(IPI/IFEX) – In a 30 January 2002 letter to President and Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf, IPI expressed its deep concern for the safety of journalist Daniel Pearl, who was kidnapped on 23 January while in Karachi to interview leaders of radical Islamic groups. Pearl, a reporter for “The Wall Street Journal”, was working on […]

(IPI/IFEX) – In a 30 January 2002 letter to President and Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf, IPI expressed its deep concern for the safety of journalist Daniel Pearl, who was kidnapped on 23 January while in Karachi to interview leaders of radical Islamic groups.

Pearl, a reporter for “The Wall Street Journal”, was working on a story about alleged shoe-bomber Richard Reid, who is being tried in the United States on charges of trying to blow up a passenger airliner in December 2001.

Several Pakistani and U.S. media organisations received an e-mail on 27 January saying Pearl had been kidnapped by a group calling itself “The National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty”.

According to IPI’s sources, the e-mail message claimed Pearl worked for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and said he was being kept in “inhumane” conditions to protest the treatment of Taliban and al-Qaeda prisoners held at a U.S. base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The e-mail also contained four photographs of the reporter, including one with his wrists chained and a pistol pointed at his head.

Two days later, Paul Steiger, “The Wall Street Journal” managing editor, released an e-mail message to the kidnappers saying he was prepared to work with the group to secure Pearl’s release and reiterating that the reporter had never worked for the CIA. Steiger also expressed the hope that the kidnappers will understand that keeping Pearl “will not alter U.S. government policy or accomplish your goals.”

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