Pearl Kidnapper Funded Us Attacks

Pearl Kidnapper Funded Us Attacks

by Neil Mackay
The Sunday Herald
February 24, 2002

The British-born mastermind behind the gruesome murder of US reporter Daniel Pearl helped bankroll the September 11 attacks on America with a payment of $ 100,000 ((pounds) 70,000) to lead hijacker Mohammed Atta.

The FBI believe Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, a Pakistani who goes by the name of Sheikh Omar and was raised in London and educated at the London School of Economics, provided Atta with the funds in the summer of 2000 to distribute among his co-conspirators.

Intelligence agencies have also describe Omar as a key figure in al-Qaeda's fundraising network, making him one of Osama bin Laden's most indispensable lieutenants. Omar, who is now in custody for the kidnapping and murder of Pearl, sent the funds to Atta - who flew the first hijacked plane into the World Trade Centre - using the alias Mustafa Muhammad Ahmad

Atta sent the remainder of the unspent money, some $ 15,600 ((pounds) 11,000), back to Omar before the World Trade Centre attacks. Atta is also thought to have visited Omar in Pakistan shortly before September 11 and travelled to the Afghan border to meet with bin Laden.

Omar was arrested for kidnapping three Britons and an American in India in 1994, but freed when Islamic militants hijacked an Indian Airlines jet and demanded his release in return for the hostages.

The outlawed terror group which Omar founded in 2000, Jaish-e-Mohammed (the Army of Mohammed) is inextricably linked to bin Laden. There is speculation that he may be the most important Briton connected to the al-Qaeda leader.

In 1993, Omar enrolled for four-month at a terrorist training camp near Khost in Afghanistan run by bin Laden.

In his diaries, which are in the possession of the Indian police, he says the training was "only given to those dedicating their lives to Jihad".

Omar, according to Indian intelligence, also set up a secure, encrypted web -based communications system for bin Laden.

There are also claims that a sacked chief of ISI (Pakistani intelligence service), Lt Gen Mehmood Ahmed, knew about the wire transfers of money from Omar to Atta.

This has fuelled growing speculation that rogue ISI agents were involved in the kidnap and murder of Danny Pearl.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has said that it will not release the video footage showing the murder of the US journalist, who was kidnapped on January 23, as it is too gruesome to be seen.

Security has been stepped up at around all US diplomatic missions and business after Omar told police interrogating him that his cell also planned to stage a ''spectacular" attack on the American consulate in Karachi.

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