Date set for Pearl murder trial

Armed police ringed the Karachi court for the hearing

A date has been set for the trial in Pakistan of those accused of the kidnapping and murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl.

Formal proceedings will start on 5 April inside the Karachi jail holding the chief suspect, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh.

Omar Sheikh, who studied in Britain, is defending himself

Security was tight on Friday as Omar Sheikh and a second defendant, Sheikh Mohammed Adeel, arrived for a hearing at a Karachi court.

Charges were filed last week against a total of 11 suspects, the majority of whom remain at large.

Daniel Pearl went missing while trying to arrange an interview with Islamic militants.

Anti-terrorism court

Hundreds of armed police surrounded the colonial-era courthouse in Karachi on Friday amid concern that Omar Sheikh's supporters might attempt to free him.

Omar Sheikh, dressed in a traditional white Pakistani baggy shirt and trousers, looked confident and had a neatly trimmed beard, according to one account.

I know my son, he is a loving child who cannot kill people... He is innocent

Omar Sheikh's father

He attempted to shout a message to the crowd outside after the brief hearing, but police pushed him into an armoured personnel and whisked him back to jail, said Associated Press.

The prosecution has now filed final charges in the case and a judge from the anti-terrorism court has been assigned to hear it.

Chief public prosecutor Raja Qureshi said proceedings would take place inside the central prison in Karachi, because of security and the sensitivities surrounding the case.

Under anti-terrorism legislation, the trial should last for no more than seven days. It is not clear whether it will be open to the public.

Omar Sheikh's father, Mohamed Sahed Sheikh, who was at the court on Friday, said he wanted a fair trial, and protested his son's innocence.

Murdered reporter

Daniel Pearl disappeared on 23 January while investigating a story for his paper, the Wall Street Journal, about links between militant Islamic groups and Richard Reid, the so-called "shoe bomber".

Pearl's wife Mariane said she would not shed a tear if his killers were executed

Later, a video tape delivered to the American consulate in Karachi showed in gruesome detail that the reporter had been killed and beheaded by his captors.

Omar Sheikh, who is on America's most wanted list, initially admitted a role in Daniel Pearl's abduction, but later said police had tried to coerce him into making a false confession.

Neither Mr Pearl's body, nor the murder weapon has yet been found. But the prosecution have said they plan to call 31 witnesses once the trial gets under way.

Seven suspects remain at large. Omar Sheikh and the other accused will stand trial for murder, kidnap for ransom and terrorist activities. They could face the death penalty if found guilty.

Correspondents say the formal charging of Omar Sheikh sets back attempts to extradite him to the US, where a federal grand jury indicted him on 14 March for Daniel Pearl's abduction and murder, and the aduction of an American tourist in India in 1994.

Islamabad has been resisting Washington's extradition attempts since late February, insisting that investigations had to be completed in Pakistan first.