Body thought to be Pearl discovered, police comment

Описание: (19 May 2002)

Gadap neighbourhood, South Karachi
1. Various shots of investigators in garden where remains, thought to be those of Daniel Pearl, were discovered
2. Doctor Qasim Soomro, part of investigative team, leaving scene
3. Top shot garden where shallow grave was discovered
4. Medical gloves on table nearby
5. Various investigative scene
6. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Mansour Mughal, Head of police investigation into Daniel Pearl kidnapping and murder:
"They found ten pieces (of a dismembered body.) Ten pieces and a piece of blue cloth. We cannot confirm yet that the remains are of Daniel Pearl."
7. Police at scene

Hyderabad
8. Various shots of Hyderabad prison complex inside which closed trial is taking place of those accused of kidnap and murder of Daniel Pearl
9. Various convoys of lawyers and police entering complex
10. Various shots of of complex
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Raja Quereshi, chief prosecutor:
"The writing expert has been dismissed on the premise that sufficient material has already been produced. However the prosecution reserves the right to question the same before the Sindh High Court at Karachi. One prosecution witness, Hasam Jhat, has been examined who has produced the FIR and the complaint of Mrs Pearl. The matter has been adjourned until tomorrow morning."
12. Various lawyers leaving complex
13. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Abdel Waheed Katpar, lawyer for the chief defendant, British-born Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh:
"The second application and then 503 of the constitution was of Mrs Pearl who was pregnant. We oppose that application very strongly and that is why Mrs. Pearl's lawyer he will appear before the court tomorrow."
14. Two shots of police

Southern Karachi
15. Vehicle arriving at grave site
16. Various of Americans walking to grave site
17. American going to grave site - mound of earth with chair in front of it and white plastic sheeting
18. Various of grave site

STORYLINE:

Investigators in the Pakistani city of Karachi searched a single-room shed on Friday where they believe Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was held for before being killed and his dismembered body buried nearby.

Mansour Mughal, the chief investigator into Pearl's disappearance, said police had found a chair that resembled the one in photographs sent to news agencies by Pearl's kidnappers.

The room itself resembled the background in the photographs and buttons similar to those Pearl was wearing in the photographs were also found.

A human body was found in 10 pieces, including the severed head, in a shallow 4.5-foot (1.3-metre) grave not far from the room. The remains have been taken away by ambulance to a nearby hospital,.

A hair sample was taken for DNA testing, and samples were also taken from the blood spattered walls of the shed, Mughal said.

Earlier on Friday Pakistan's presidential spokesman said police were "quite sure" that the body they found in southern Karachi late on Thursday is that of Pearl, who disappeared four months ago while researching links to international terrorism in the city.

Police were led to the body by three new suspects in the kidnapping, who told them the body was Pearl's.

By mid-afternoon on Friday, two officials from the US Consulate in Karachi had arrived at the site in Gadap, a neighbourhood almost 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the centre of this sprawling city of 14 million (m) people.


Four Islamic radicals have been on trial since April 22 on charges of murder and kidnapping in the case. They deny the charges.

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