Pearl case suspect's body identified

Two family members of a leading terror suspect, also wanted in the kidnap slaying of U.S. reporter Daniel Pearl, yesterday identified his body among the four badly-mutilated corpses, found from the rubble of a three-storey building which collapsed two days ago after a massive explosion.

Asif Ramzi, carrying a reward of Rs3 million for his capture, apparently blew himself up along with three other accomplices while trying to make chemical bombs in Karachi's eastern Korangi area.

The wife and mother of Ramzi, a member of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, visited the private morgue run by Edhi Welfare organisation and identified his body, Tariq Jameel, Deputy Inspector General of Police, said.

This was their second visit to the morgue in two days. On Friday, they denied that Ramzi's body was among the four dead. But in a rapid turn of events, they owned the body in their second visit.
Jameel said that the two women recognised the body with marks on his leg and torso.

But police are still sceptical in believing the body as that of Ramzi, saying that they would wait for the DNA report. The blood sample of Ramzi's mother has been taken for the test, police officials said.

Police said that they have several other evidence to suggest that Ramzi was among the dead. The police found two fake identity cards carrying Ramzi's picture as well as two mobile phone SIM cards, Sindh police chief Kamal Shah said.

Also the police found a motorcycle in which more than five kilos of explosives were packed in the fuel tank.

Jameel said the two other corpses have been identified. One belongs to a known Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militant Nadeem Abbas, while another of Amir Memon, who has no past criminal record, he said.

Ramzi has also been accused of carrying out deadly parcel bomb attacks on government building in recent months. His death is being described as a big blow to the terror network in Karachi.

Pearl, the South Asia chief of The Wall Street Journal, was kidnapped in Karachi earlier this year while he was investigating a story on militants.

Ramzi is believed to be one of his killers. A British-born militant Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh has been sentenced to death in July for masterminding the slaying.