AFP (with additional material by AP). 31 January 2002. Abductors of US journalist extend deadline by one day.
ISLAMABAD -- A shadowy Islamic extremist group extended the deadline for the killing of a kidnapped American journalist by one day as Washington ruled out meeting the demands of the abductors. "We give 1 one more day," said an e-mail seen here Thursday, apparently from the captors of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. "If America will not meet our demands we will kill Daniel. Then this cycle will continue and no American Journalist could enter Pakistan. Allah is with us," said the e-mail sent to Pakistani newspapers. But US Secretary of State Colin Powell said the kidnappers' demands for better treatment for suspected al-Qaeda prisoners at a US camp in Cuba were not open for negotiation. Sources at the Pakistani newspapers which received the stay of execution e-mail said they believed it was from the same people who had previously sent messages, although the senders of Thursday's message did not identify themselves. "U can not fool us and find us. We are inside seas, oceans, hills, grave yards every where," the message, written in broken English, said. "We had given our demands and if U will not then 'we' will act and the Americans will get their part what they deserve. "Don't think this will be the end, it is the beginning and it is a real war on American will get the taste of the death and destructions what we had go in AFG (Afghanistan) and Pakistan, Inshaallah (God willing)." Wednesday's e-mail purportedly from Pearl's captors included an apology to his family "for the worry caused." It said the kidnappers would send food packages "just as America apologized for collateral damage and dropped food packages" in Afghanistan during last year's bombing campaign. "We hope Mr. Danny's family will be grateful for the food packets that we send them just as the American public expected the Afghans to be grateful for the food packets its Air Force was dropping on them," the e-mail said. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barry Stoller http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ProletarianNews
