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Daniel Pearl dead, says Sheikh Omar

Appearing before a Karachi court, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, chief suspect in the abduction of The Wall Street Journal scribe Daniel Pearl, said that the journalist is dead.

Sheikh during his appearance in the courthouse confessed to Pearl's kidnapping, but refused to divulge details where or when the 38-year-old journalist was allegedly killed.

Saeed, who was brought to the courtroom in an armoured personnel carrier under heavy security, said he carried out the kidnapping under 'my own free will'.

"Right or wrong I had my reasons," he told the judge.

"I think that our country shouldn't be catering to America's needs," he said.

A spokesman for Dow Jones & Co, which owns the journal, said he had not heard of Saeed's court statement.

"We continue to remain hopeful," the spokesman added.

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