Pearl kidnap-murder trial starts in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- In a case local observers liken to the O.J. Simpson case, four men accused in the kidnap-murder of journalist Daniel Pearl appear in court today in Pakistan's first major terrorism trial since President Pervez Musharraf allied himself with the United States last fall.

"Politicized cases like this get a lot of attention, especially when the stakes are high," said Syed Nayyer Bokhari, an Islamabad-based lawyer.

"Everyone, here and abroad, will be watching very closely," he added, predicting that media coverage in Pakistan would be similar to that of the 1995 trial of O.J. Simpson in Los Angeles.

British-born Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, the alleged mastermind in the abduction and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, and three others are charged with kidnapping for ransom, murder and acts of terrorism.

Pearl was kidnapped in Karachi on Jan. 23 while researching a story on Islamic militants. He was confirmed dead by U.S. officials on Feb. 21 after a videotape showed him decapitated.

Under Pakistan's antiterrorism laws, the trial is scheduled to last no longer than seven days. If found guilty, Saeed and his alleged accomplices face the death penalty.

Saeed has been indicted by a federal grand jury in New Jersey for the Pearl murder, and U.S. officials have been pressing Pakistan to extradite him.

Flight to Orlando aborted

A Delta Air Lines flight from Boston to Florida was aborted before takeoff Thursday after a passenger demanded to be let out and allegedly made a threat.

The plane was on the runway and was supposed to head to Orlando. Instead, it taxied back to the terminal area and its 118 passengers were taken off the plane.

Richard Lambertsen, 49, of Cocoa was charged with interference with a flight crew, state police Sgt. Edward Principe said.

In a separate incident, a Virgin Atlantic flight attendant was ordered held on $250,000 bail Thursday for allegedly writing a bomb threat aboard a plane in January, forcing the London-to-Orlando flight to be diverted to Iceland.

Other news ...

CAPTIVES WILL STAY JUST THAT: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Thursday defended the Pentagon's plan to keep some prisoners from the Afghan war in captivity in Cuba indefinitely, even if they are acquitted in military tribunals.

To release them after an acquittal so they could return to the battlefield, he said, would be "mindless."

But he did say that some prisoners had been released, evidently having provided little intelligence about future attacks.

ARMY TAKES OVER GITMO PRISON: The joint task force overseeing the detention of 300 prisoners from the Afghanistan war at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base received a new commander Thursday.

U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Rick Baccus took over for Marine Brig. Gen. Michael Lehnert. The change was planned and represented no policy shift, mission spokesman Maj. James Bell said.

Army personnel also will replace about 125 Marines, Bell said.

ITALY SAFE, PREMIER SAYS: Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi said Thursday there is "no need for particular concern" as his defense chief criticized the U.S. government for warning that extremists might target Americans in four Italian cities on Easter.

Italy stepped up security, nevertheless, after the State Department warned on Wednesday that a "possible threat exists to U.S. citizens in the cities of Venice, Florence, Milan and Verona on Easter Sunday from extremist groups." It urged Americans to be alert and avoid large crowds.

PAKISTAN HIDEOUTS RAIDED: Police raided Islamic extremist hideouts Thursday throughout eastern Pakistan, arresting dozens of suspected al-Qaida members and seizing computers and other materials, officials said.

One person was killed and at least five others, including a policeman, were wounded in the biggest raid, which took place before dawn in this city, about 160 miles south of the capital, Islamabad.

ASHCROFT WELCOMES NEW INS: The U.S. government's war on terrorism will be aided by the proposed shakeup of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Attorney General John Ashcroft said Thursday in Miami Beach.

The House last week approved a proposal for replacing the INS with separate bureaus for enforcement of immigration law and providing immigration services.

He said the proposal seeks to give INS agents direct access to State Department files on visa applications, including photos that would make it easier to identify terrorists trying to enter the United States.

Ashcroft also lauded Florida's proposals to have local and state law enforcement make immigration arrests, which he said will make the state and the nation more secure.

WTC RESCUE LEADER STEPS DOWN: The man who directed emergency operations during the World Trade Center attacks stepped down Thursday as head of the city's Office of Emergency Management.

Richard Sheirer was coordinating evacuations, rescues and triage as the twin towers collapsed Sept. 11, calling for harbor and air protection and shutting down the streets of lower Manhattan. In the months since, Sheirer has directed the massive recovery and cleanup operation at the site.

ATTA'S RENTAL CARS FOR SALE: Two cars rented by terrorist leader Mohammed Atta in the weeks before the Sept. 11 attacks are for sale, though there haven't been any offers.

A white 1996 Ford Escort and a faded blue Chevrolet Corsica sit in a Pompano Beach warehouse owned by James Glynn.

The cars have been advertised on the Web site of Glynn's company, Fedtrust Liquidators. Glynn was traveling Thursday and could not immediately be reached.

Glynn bought the cars from Brad Warrick, the owner of Warrick's Rent-A-Car in Pompano Beach, where Atta rented the cars.

TERROR MEASURES GET "SUPPORT': Long criticized by American officials for locking up suspects -- including political opponents -- without trial, Malaysia's leader on Thursday likened the practice to security measures taken by the United States since Sept. 11.

"Events in the United States have shown that there are instances where certain special powers need to be used in order to protect the public for the general good," Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said.

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