Overview

Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh is a British terrorist convicted in Pakistan of orchestrating the 2002 kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Pakistani authorities arrested Sheikh after Pearl’s kidnapping and subsequently sentenced him to death. In January 2021, Pakistan’s supreme court overturned Sheikh’s conviction and ordered his release, despite protests from the Pakistani and U.S. governments.Kathy Gannon, “Pakistan court orders release of man accused in Pearl death,” Associated Press, January 28, 2021, https://apnews.com/article/ahmad-saeed-omar-sheikh-freed-2deade6fb1fa67cf646ddcc933fac5eb.

Sheikh was born and raised in England. His parents, Saeed and Qaissra Sheikh, emigrated from Pakistan in 1968 and opened a clothing store in England. Sheikh attended London’s prestigious Forest private school from 1980 to 1987. During this time, Sheikh displayed unusual physical strength but also began to show behavioral problems. According to one former classmate, an 8-year-old Sheikh punched a teacher and knocked him to the floor. In 1987, Sheikh’s family moved to Pakistan, where Sheikh attended another private school, Aitchison college in Lahore. However, he was later expelled for fighting and bullying. Sheikh returned to Forest in 1991 to take his pre-university exams, but he continued to have behavioral and disciplinary issues and earned a reputation as the toughest boy in school. Sheikh also became interested in arm-wrestling and eventually joined the British national team, participating in the world championships in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1992.Suktara Ghosh, “Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, the Man Rajkummar Rao Plays in ‘Omerta,’” Quint, May 3, 2018, https://www.thequint.com/news/world/daniel-pearl-ahmed-omar-saeed-sheikh-profile-rajkummar-rao-omerta#read-more; Sunday Times, “The British Jackal,” India Ministry of External Affairs, April 21, 2002, https://www.mea.gov.in/articles-in-foreign-media.htm?dtl/18174/The+British+jackal; Alex Hannaford, “‘The Toughest Boy in School,’” Guardian (London), February 22, 2005, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/feb/23/alqaida.usa.

Sheikh enrolled at the London School of Economics (LSE) in 1992 to study statistics but withdrew soon after.“Profile: Omar Saeed Sheikh,” BBC News, July 16, 2002, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1804710.stm. At some point that year, Sheikh viewed a documentary about the persecution of Bosnian Muslims by the Serbs. He subsequently began attending rallies and lectures on the Bosnian conflict.Celia W. Dugger and Felicity Barringer, “A NATION CHALLENGED: A SUSPECT; Confession in 1994 Case Evokes Pearl Abduction,” New York Times, February 8, 2002, https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/08/world/a-nation-challenged-a-suspect-confession-in-1994-case-evokes-pearl-abduction.html?sec=&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink. According to journalist Syed Ali Hasan, who attended Forest school and LSE with Sheikh, Sheikh announced during his first year at LSE he was going to Bosnia to drive aid convoys. He left for Bosnia in 1993 to work with a group called the Convoy of Mercy. Sheikh later told police he had been disturbed by the ethnic conflict he witnessed.Simon Jeffery, “Omar Sheikh – The path from public school in London to Pakistan’s death row,” Guardian (London), July 15, 2002, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/jul/15/pakistan.simonjeffery. It was in Bosnia where Sheikh fully radicalized. He met a group of Pakistanis who introduce him to other Pakistani militants. They took him to a training camp in Afghanistan, which led him to join the anti-Indian Kashmiri terrorist group Harkat-ul-Ansar, a.k.a. Harakat Ul-Mujahidin (HuM), in Pakistan.Celia W. Dugger and Felicity Barringer, “A NATION CHALLENGED: A SUSPECT; Confession in 1994 Case Evokes Pearl Abduction,” New York Times, February 8, 2002, https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/08/world/a-nation-challenged-a-suspect-confession-in-1994-case-evokes-pearl-abduction.html?sec=&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink; “HARAKAT UL-MUJAHIDIN / HUM,” U.N. Security Council, accessed July 7, 2021, https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/sanctions/1267/aq_sanctions_list/summaries/entity/harakat-ul-mujahidin/hum. Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf wrote in his 2006 book, In the Line of Fire, British intelligence agency MI6 had actually recruited Sheikh at LSE and sent him to the Balkans to gather intelligence. Musharraf claimed Sheikh then likely became a rogue or double agent.“British-Pakistani terrorist Omar Sheikh shifted from Karachi to Lahore jail,” New Indian Express, April 9, 2021, https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2021/apr/09/british-pakistani-terrorist-omar-sheikh-shifted-from-karachi-to-lahore-jail-2288008.html.

In July 1994, Sheikh arrived in New Delhi, India.Celia W. Dugger and Felicity Barringer, “A NATION CHALLENGED: A SUSPECT; Confession in 1994 Case Evokes Pearl Abduction,” New York Times, February 8, 2002, https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/08/world/a-nation-challenged-a-suspect-confession-in-1994-case-evokes-pearl-abduction.html?sec=&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink. He was coordinating a plan with HuM to kidnap Western tourists to trade for militants held in Indian prisons. Using the pseudonym Rohit Sharma, Sheikh met American tourist Bela J. Nuss in New Delhi and befriended him. On October 20, Sheikh invited Nuss to a wedding but then a group of militants kidnapped Nuss at gunpoint outside of his hotel and brought him to Ghaziabad, an industrial area outside of New Delhi. The militants separately kidnapped three British tourists, Paul Benjamin Ridout, Christopher Myles Croston, and Rhys Partridge. Indian police rescued the hostages on October 31 in Ghaziabad while investigating a routine robbery. After a brief shootout, the hostages were rescued unharmed. The police arrested Sheikh after initially thinking him to be one of the hostages because of his English accent. Sheikh was indicted in the United States on charges of hostage-taking and conspiracy to commit hostage-taking.John Johnson, “American Recalls His 1994 Abduction,” Los Angeles Times, February 9, 2002, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-feb-09-mn-27168-story.html; Reuters, “3 Britons and 1 American Freed From Kashmiri Militants in India,” New York Times, November 1, 1994, https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/01/world/3-britons-and-1-american-freed-from-kashmiri-militants-in-india.html;  “Profile: Omar Saeed Sheikh,” BBC News, July 16, 2002, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1804710.stm; “Attorney General Transcript News Conference - Indictment in Daniel Pearl Case,” U.S. Department of Justice, March 14, 2002, https://www.justice.gov/archive/ag/speeches/2002/031402newsconfernceindictmentindanielpearlcase.htm; Agence France-Presse, “Omar Sheikh: from private schoolboy to militant kidnapper,” France 24, January 28, 2021, https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210128-omar-sheikh-from-private-schoolboy-to-militant-kidnapper. Though Sheikh was imprisoned in India, he was never charged.“Omar Sheikh: From private schoolboy to militant kidnapper,” New Indian Express, January 28, 2021, https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2021/jan/28/omar-sheikh-from-private-schoolboy-to-militant-kidnapper-2256210.html. While in a New Delhi prison, Sheikh met HuM leader Mohammad Masood Azhar.“Omar Sheikh: From private schoolboy to militant kidnapper,” New Indian Express, January 28, 2021, https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2021/jan/28/omar-sheikh-from-private-schoolboy-to-militant-kidnapper-2256210.html.

On December 24, 1999, HuM hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC 814 bound for Delhi, forcing it eventually to land in Kandahar, Afghanistan. After eight days, the group negotiated with the Indian government for the hostage exchange. Sheikh was freed on December 31, 1999, with Azhar and another jailed Kashmiri militant, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, in exchange for 155 hostages held by HuM.“Indian hijack drama over,” BBC News, December 31, 1999, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/584729.stm. After his release, Sheikh married and had a child.“Profile: Omar Saeed Sheikh,” BBC News, July 16, 2002, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1804710.stm. By September 2001, he had traveled to Afghanistan to fight alongside al-Qaeda and the Taliban against the United States after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.“Attorney General Transcript News Conference - Indictment in Daniel Pearl Case,” U.S. Department of Justice, March 14, 2002, https://www.justice.gov/archive/ag/speeches/2002/031402newsconfernceindictmentindanielpearlcase.htm.

Sheikh returned to Pakistan after the fall of the Taliban government. By the beginning of 2002, he and other Pakistani militants began making plans to kidnap an American journalist in an attempt to sway U.S. policy in the Middle East.“Attorney General Transcript News Conference - Indictment in Daniel Pearl Case,” U.S. Department of Justice, March 14, 2002, https://www.justice.gov/archive/ag/speeches/2002/031402newsconfernceindictmentindanielpearlcase.htm. At the time, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was the paper’s South Asia bureau chief based in India. He was investigating al-Qaeda’s links to Pakistani militants. Using a false identity, Sheikh lured Pearl to Karachi for an interview with a fictitious source and the promise of information on shoe bomber Richard Reid.Terry McDermott, “The Mastermind,” New Yorker, September 30, 2010, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/09/13/the-mastermind; Kathy Gannon, “Pakistani suspect admits to role in Daniel Pearl’s beheading,” Associated Press, January 27, 2021, https://apnews.com/article/daniel-pearl-pakistan-252becb718dfd0ea59dc3df493f90887; “Attorney General Transcript News Conference - Indictment in Daniel Pearl Case,” U.S. Department of Justice, March 14, 2002, https://www.justice.gov/archive/ag/speeches/2002/031402newsconfernceindictmentindanielpearlcase.htm. On January 23, 2002, Amjad Hussain Farooqi, reportedly a close associate of Sheikh’s, picked up Pearl and brought him to Karachi.Salman Masood, “Pakistani Court Overturns Conviction in 2002 Killing of Daniel Pearl,” New York Times, April 2, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/world/asia/pakistan-daniel-pearl.html; “Judgement of the Anti-Terrorism Court, Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan, in the Daniel Pearl case, July 15, 2002,” South Asia Terrorism Portal, July 15, 2002, https://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/document/papers/judgement_pearl.htm; Simon Jeffery, “Omar Sheikh – The path from public school in London to Pakistan’s death row,” Guardian (London), July 15, 2002, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/jul/15/pakistan.simonjeffery. There, a “mishmash” of Pakistani jihadists—as described by a local investigatorTerry McDermott, “The Mastermind,” New Yorker, September 30, 2010, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/09/13/the-mastermind.—calling themselves “The National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty” kidnapped Pearl. On January 26, Pearl’s kidnappers sent an email to media with pictures of Pearl in captivity. A second email on January 30 accused Pearl of being a spy and demanded the release of Pakistani detainees from the U.S. facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, within 24 hours or Pearl would be killed.“Reporter Daniel Pearl Is Dead, Killed by His Captors in Pakistan,” Wall Street Journal, February 24, 2002, https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1014311357552611480; “Attorney General Transcript News Conference - Indictment in Daniel Pearl Case,” U.S. Department of Justice, March 14, 2002, https://www.justice.gov/archive/ag/speeches/2002/031402newsconfernceindictmentindanielpearlcase.htm.

Pakistani police subsequently arrested three men in Karachi who allegedly sent the photos of the captive Pearl. The three claimed they were not involved and had received the photographs from somebody else who instructed them to send the photos. Based on information gained from those three suspects, Pakistani authorities announced Sheikh as a suspect in Pearl’s kidnapping on February 6.“Suspect named in reporter's kidnap,” BBC News, February 6, 2002, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1804709.stm. Pakistani authorities arrested Sheikh in Lahore on February 12.“Suspected Mastermind of Pearl Kidnapping Arrested,” CNN, February 12, 2002, http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0202/12/bn.02.html.

On February 21, 2002, a video was released to Pakistani authorities titled “The Slaughter of the Spy-Journalist, the Jew Daniel Pearl.” During the video, Pearl describes his Jewish heritage and then condemns American support for Israel and makes other anti-American statements analysts say were made under duress based on Pearl’s movements. The video ends with Pearl’s beheading.“U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl is dead, officials confirm,” CNN, February 22, 2002, https://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/02/21/missing.reporter/index.html; Joel Roberts, “Terror, Lies And Videotape,” CBS News, May 14, 2002, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/terror-lies-and-videotape/. The United States indicted Sheikh on March 14, 2002.“Attorney General Transcript News Conference - Indictment in Daniel Pearl Case,” U.S. Department of Justice, March 14, 2002, https://www.justice.gov/archive/ag/speeches/2002/031402newsconfernceindictmentindanielpearlcase.htm.

On July 14, 2002, the Anti-Terrorism Court in Hyderabad, Pakistan, convicted Sheikh of luring Pearl to Karachi, where he was kidnapped. Sheikh was sentenced to death.Salman Masood, “Pakistani Court Overturns Conviction in 2002 Killing of Daniel Pearl,” New York Times, April 2, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/world/asia/pakistan-daniel-pearl.html; “Judgement of the Anti-Terrorism Court, Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan, in the Daniel Pearl case, July 15, 2002,” South Asia Terrorism Portal, July 15, 2002, https://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/document/papers/judgement_pearl.htm; Simon Jeffery, “Omar Sheikh – The path from public school in London to Pakistan’s death row,” Guardian (London), July 15, 2002, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/jul/15/pakistan.simonjeffery. Sheikh’s family in England argued Sheikh had not received a fair trial in Pakistan and should receive a new trial in the United Kingdom. Sheikh’s brother, Awais, claimed his brother was a political scapegoat and called on authorities to find those truly responsible for Pearl’s murder.“Family continues to fight for a ‘fair trial,’” News Shopper, July 25, 2002, https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/6312852.family-continues-to-fight-for-a-fair-trial/.

In 2007, Al-Qaeda agent and September 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM), who is imprisoned at the U.S. facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, claimed he personally beheaded Pearl in Karachi. KSM allegedly bought Pearl from the kidnappers, hired a cameraman, and filmed the beheading. According to KSM, he “decapitated with my blessed right hand the head of the American Jew, Daniel Pearl.”“Verbatim Transcript of Combatant Status Review Tribunal Hearing for ISN 10024,” CNN, March 10, 2007, http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2007/images/03/14/transcript_ISN10024.pdf; Terry McDermott, “The Mastermind,” New Yorker, September 30, 2010, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/09/13/the-mastermind. Corroborating KSM’s account, a January 2011 report by the Pearl Project at Georgetown University concluded KSM had murdered Pearl.Agence France-Presse, “Omar Sheikh: from private schoolboy to militant kidnapper,” France 24, January 28, 2021, https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210128-omar-sheikh-from-private-schoolboy-to-militant-kidnapper; The Truth Left Behind: Inside the Kidnapping and Murder of Daniel Pearl, The Pearl Project, 2011, http://pearlproject.georgetown.edu/.

Sheikh remained in prison for his role in orchestrating Pearl’s initial kidnapping. Despite his imprisonment, Sheikh managed to make a hoax call to Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in November 2008 shortly after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. Sheikh pretended to be the Indian foreign minister and threatened Pakistan with an Indian attack. Unbeknownst to guards, Sheikh reportedly had a cellphone he used to communicate with his wife. She alerted him to the Mumbai attacks, and he used the phone to make the hoax calls. He also reportedly attempted to call the U.S. secretary of state but was foiled by security checks.“Omar Sheikh Made the Hoax Call to Zardari,” Outlook, November 26, 2009, https://www.outlookindia.com/newswire/story/omar-sheikh-made-the-hoax-call-to-zardari/670109.

In a July 25, 2019, letter to Pakistani judicial authorities, Sheikh requested a reduced sentence as his role in Pearl’s kidnapping “was a relatively minor one, which does not warrant the death sentence.”Kathy Gannon, “Pakistani suspect admits to role in Daniel Pearl’s beheading,” Associated Press, January 27, 2021, https://apnews.com/article/daniel-pearl-pakistan-252becb718dfd0ea59dc3df493f90887. On April 2, 2020, the Sindh High Court in Karachi overturned Sheikh’s conviction and death sentences, claiming there was sufficient evidence to convict him of kidnapping but not of murder. The court reduced Sheikh’s sentence to seven years. The court also overturned the convictions of Fahad Saleem, Syed Salman Saqib, and Sheikh Muhammad Adil, who were serving life sentences in connection with the Pearl case.Salman Masood, “Pakistani Court Overturns Conviction in 2002 Killing of Daniel Pearl,” New York Times, April 2, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/world/asia/pakistan-daniel-pearl.html. During the supreme court’s deliberations, Sheikh admitted to writing the 2019 letter acknowledging his small role in Pearl’s kidnapping. The Pearl family attorney called Sheikh’s 2019 letter enough of an admission to keep Sheikh in prison, but Sheikh’s attorney argued the letter had been written under duress and Sheikh had no connection to Pearl.Kathy Gannon, “Pakistani suspect admits to role in Daniel Pearl’s beheading,” Associated Press, January 27, 2021, https://apnews.com/article/daniel-pearl-pakistan-252becb718dfd0ea59dc3df493f90887.

Despite condemnation from the Pakistani and American governments, Sheikh was released as he had already served 18 years. However, Pakistani authorities rearrested Sheikh the following day on April 3 on directions from the government, which cited a legal measure allowing the government to hold suspects for three months.Salman Masood, “Pakistan Rearrests 4 Men in Daniel Pearl Case,” New York Times, April 3, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/03/world/asia/pakistan-daniel-pearl-arrests.html. On January 28, 2021, Pakistan’s supreme court upheld the lower court’s decision to acquit Sheikh.Kathy Gannon, “Pakistan court orders release of man accused in Pearl death,” Associated Press, January 28, 2021, https://apnews.com/article/ahmad-saeed-omar-sheikh-freed-2deade6fb1fa67cf646ddcc933fac5eb. Justice Omar Ata Bandyal called for Sheikh to be moved to a government safehouse as a transition to his full release. The Pearl family petitioned the court to reverse the decision, while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed U.S. concern to Pakistan’s government over the decision.Asif Shahzad, “Pakistan court orders release from prison of mastermind in Daniel Pearl case,” Reuters, February 2, 2021, https://www.reuters.com/article/pakistan-usa-danielpearl-int/pakistan-court-orders-release-from-prison-of-mastermind-in-daniel-pearl-case-idUSKBN2A20TI. The U.S. government has pledged to pursue justice against Sheikh.“British-Pakistani terrorist Omar Sheikh shifted from Karachi to Lahore jail,” New Indian Express, April 9, 2021, https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2021/apr/09/british-pakistani-terrorist-omar-sheikh-shifted-from-karachi-to-lahore-jail-2288008.html.