US seeks extradition of Daniel Pearl kidnap suspect

The US Ambassador to Pakistan has met with President Pervez Musharraf to discuss the possibility that the prime suspect in the kidnapping and murder of Daniel Pearl may be extradited to the US.

Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who was born in Britain, apparently confessed to masterminding the reporter’s abduction, but the admission was not made under oath and not in open court.

US officials said they had requested Saeed’s extradition long before he was linked to Mr Pearl’s murder. They said he was secretly indicted by the US for a failed attempt to kidnap US and British backpackers in Kashmir in 1994.

The US and Pakistan have no extradition treaty, but Pakistan has extradited suspects before and the US has made it clear that it wants custody of Mr Pearl’s killers.

When asked did Washington hope to extradite Saeed, US President George W Bush said: "Yes, we’re always interested in dealing with people who have harmed American citizens."

Despite this, President Musharraf might prefer to try Saeed in Pakistan to show that the country’s judicial system is effective and to fend off nationalist criticism which would undoubtedly follow if he sent a Pakistani citizen abroad for trial.