Pakistani police searching for US reporter Mr Daniel Pearl said today they were checking possible links to militant Islamic groups but had no idea where he was.
|
|
Mr Daniel Pearl Photograph: Reuters
|
A number of Pakistani and US media organisations received an e-mail yesterday saying the
Wall Street Journal
(WSJ) reporter had been kidnapped in Karachi by a group calling itself The National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty.
The e-mail said Mr Pearl (38) was being kept in inhumane conditions to protest against US treatment of Taliban and al-Qaeda prisoners being held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
"We saw that e-mail message and are looking for this group, but it is relatively unknown to us . . . We are looking at every option," a police official told Reuters.
The e-mail, which accused Mr Pearl of working for the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), included four photographs of the journalist, including one with his wrists chained and a pistol pointed at his head.
|
|
|
Police earlier said they thought the e-mail was a hoax, while the WSJ and CIA have said Mr Pearl never worked for the agency.
A US embassy spokesman in Islamabad said: "We never heard of the group, we've seen news accounts reporting that law authorities dismissed the e-mail as a hoax, but we can't verify its authenticity".
"We remain concerned for his safety. Our consulate in Karachi and embassy in Islamabad continue to co-ordinate closely with Pakistani authorities to resolve the case," he said.