This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/americas/6455307.stm
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Key 9/11 figure 'beheaded Pearl' | Key 9/11 figure 'beheaded Pearl' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Alleged al-Qaeda mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has confessed to the killing of US journalist Daniel Pearl in Pakistan in 2002, the Pentagon says. | Alleged al-Qaeda mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has confessed to the killing of US journalist Daniel Pearl in Pakistan in 2002, the Pentagon says. |
| "I decapitated with my blessed right hand the head of the American Jew Daniel Pearl," he is quoted as saying in a revised transcript of US hearing. | "I decapitated with my blessed right hand the head of the American Jew Daniel Pearl," he is quoted as saying in a revised transcript of US hearing. |
| Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is being held at Guantanamo Bay, and was questioned by the tribunal there at the weekend. | Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is being held at Guantanamo Bay, and was questioned by the tribunal there at the weekend. |
| He also reportedly confessed to plotting 9/11 and many other attacks. | He also reportedly confessed to plotting 9/11 and many other attacks. |
| But Amnesty International urged caution in assessing Mr Mohammed's statements, which it said were made without any of the normal legal safeguards. | |
| "Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's 'confession' was not made in a court of law but in a secret screening process that bars lawyers," said Amnesty UK spokesman Mike Blakemore. | |
| "Before his six months at Guantanamo, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was apparently held in a totally secret CIA-run prison for three-and-a-half years where he alleges torture." | |
| Internet pictures | |
| The alleged admission of Pearl's killing had been blacked out in an earlier version of the transcript released by the Pentagon. | |
| Mohammed is believed to have planned the 9/11 attacks | |
| Department of Defense spokesman Bryan Whitman said the information was delayed so that Pearl's family could be informed of the news. | Department of Defense spokesman Bryan Whitman said the information was delayed so that Pearl's family could be informed of the news. |
| Pearl, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was kidnapped in Pakistan in 2002. Pictures of his murder appeared on internet sites later, but the identity of the killer was not clear. | Pearl, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was kidnapped in Pakistan in 2002. Pictures of his murder appeared on internet sites later, but the identity of the killer was not clear. |
| British-born Islamist Ahmed Omar Sheikh was sentenced to death for the murder six months later, while three other men were given life imprisonment. They are appealing against the verdict. | |
| Mr Mohammed has long been considered a prime suspect in the case. | Mr Mohammed has long been considered a prime suspect in the case. |
| "For those who would like to confirm, there are pictures of me on the internet holding his head," he said, according to the Pentagon transcript. | "For those who would like to confirm, there are pictures of me on the internet holding his head," he said, according to the Pentagon transcript. |
| 'Number three' | |
| Khalid Sheikh Mohammed appeared at the weekend before a "combatant status review tribunal", designed to assess whether those suspects held at Guantanamo Bay should continue to be held. | Khalid Sheikh Mohammed appeared at the weekend before a "combatant status review tribunal", designed to assess whether those suspects held at Guantanamo Bay should continue to be held. |
| In a statement read for him, he said he was "responsible for the 9/11 operation, from A to Z", and also had a role in planning the 2002 Bali bombings and a deadly attack on a Kenyan hotel. | In a statement read for him, he said he was "responsible for the 9/11 operation, from A to Z", and also had a role in planning the 2002 Bali bombings and a deadly attack on a Kenyan hotel. |
| He also listed a string of unfulfilled plots, including attacks on Heathrow airport in London, the Empire State building in New York and the Panama Canal. | He also listed a string of unfulfilled plots, including attacks on Heathrow airport in London, the Empire State building in New York and the Panama Canal. |
| The Kuwaiti-born militant was considered al-Qaeda's number three leader until his capture in a safe house in Pakistan in March 2003. | |
| He was held in US custody at an undisclosed location until his transfer to Guantanamo in 2006. |