Pearl Case Suspect Issues Threat to U.S.

The defiant alleged mastermind of the kidnapping and slaying of Wall Street Journal correspondent Daniel Pearl warned Tuesday that Americans will suffer if he is sent to the United States, shouting to bystanders after a court appearance that “America will be finished soon.”

Ahmad Omar Saeed Sheikh and co-defendant Sheikh Mohammed Adeel appeared Tuesday before a judge who gave the government 10 more days to continue its investigation before a trial date is set.

Saeed’s lawyer, Khawaja Naveed, said police have fabricated evidence and asked the court to set a date for the trial or release his client.

The United States also has expressed interest in trying the British-born Islamic militant, but Pakistan says he must stand trial here first.

Pearl, the Journal’s South Asia correspondent, was kidnapped in Karachi on Jan. 23 while researching links between Pakistani extremists and Richard C. Reid, who was arrested in December with explosives in his shoe on a flight between Paris and Miami.

Last month, a videotape received by the U.S. Consulate in Karachi confirmed Pearl’s death. His body has not been found, and some suspects remain at large.

Saeed and Adeel, their faces covered by scarves, arrived in court in an armored personnel carrier accompanied by nine police vehicles.