Police probes Sheikh Omar’s involvement in attacks on Musharraf

Islamabad, Jan. 19: The investigations into the recent attempts on the life of Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf took a new turn with police suspecting the involvement of Ahmed Omer Saeed Sheikh, the militant who was released by India to end the Kandahar hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane in 1999.

Omer, a Britain born Pakistani militant and a close associate of Masood Azhar, — chief of banned militant outfit Jaish-e-Muhammad, is currently awaiting the outcome of his appeal against death sentence in the kidnapping and murder of US journalist Daniel Pearl.

He was brought to Karachi under tight security on Sunday from prison in Hyderabad for interrogation.

Pakistan officials were quoted in the local media on Monday as saying that Omer was being intensely interrogated in connection with ongoing investigations into the two attempts made on the life of Musharraf last month.

The suspicion of Omer’s involvement in the attempts added a new dimension to the case, which Pakistani officials believe was the handiwork of "Brigade 313", an alliance of jehadi groups including Jaish and Lashkar-e-Toiba. One of the two suicide bombers has been identified as an active member of Jaish and the other as Harkatul Alami. Omer is believed to have association with both. (PTI)