A Pakistani court on Thursday ordered the immediate release of the four suspects in journalist Daniel Pearl’s beheading — defying its own government, which had demanded they stay behind bars.
Sindh High Court issued a written order for accused mastermind Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and alleged cohorts Fahad Naseem, Sheikh Adil and Salman Saqib to be “released from jail forthwith,” according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“The release might take place today and if not then it is in the next 24 hours,” the men’s lawyer, Mahmood Sheikh — who is no relation to the jailed militant — told the wire service.
“There is no legal hitch in setting them free,” he added, despite orders from Pakistan’s government for them to remain detained.
British-born suspect Sheikh was sentenced to death in 2002 for the kidnapping and beheading of the Wall Street Journal reporter in January that year, a gruesome crime that was filmed and sent to the US consulate. The other three suspects were all sentenced to life in prison.