A Pakistani court on Thursday overturned the death sentence for British-born militant Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who had been convicted over the 2002 killing of American journalist Daniel Pearl.
This undated photo shows Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street Journal newspaper reporter kidnapped by Islamic militants in Karachi, Pakistan. The Wall Street Journal announced February 21, 2002 that Pearl has been confirmed dead, presumably murdered by his abductors. The British-born Islamic militant Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh was sentenced to death July 15, 2002 by a Pakistani court for the kidnap and death of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Three accomplices were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Sheikh’s defence lawyer Khawja Naveed told AFP his client’s sentence had been reduced to seven years in prison. Since Sheikh has been in prison since 2002, he was expected to be released, but the court had not yet issued that order, Naveed said.
