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Fact Sheet

American journalists 'targeted'

The Wall Street Journal reports that it received four photos from a group claiming to have kidnapped reporter Daniel Pearl, including one with a gun to his head.  


SUMMARY:

The kidnappers claiming to hold a Wall Street Journal reporter in Pakistan have warned American journalists to get out of the country within three days or "be targeted," according to an e-mail obtained by CNN and other news agencies.

The group, which calls itself "The National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty," has threatened to kill reporter Daniel Pearl within 24 hours if its demands are not met. The group wants the release of all Pakistanis held by the United States as a result of the war on terrorism.

Pearl's wife, Marianne, told CNN she has not slept for six days but that she remains hopeful her husband would be released.

UPDATE:

Pakistani authorities said Wednesday they had arrested Sheikh Mubarik ali Gilani, calling him a "prime suspect" in Pearl's kidnapping. But a spokesman for Gilani, a religious leader whose sect was once on a U.S. list of terrorist organizations, said he never arranged to meet with the reporter and had nothing to do with his kidnapping. (Full story)

Fighting broke out Wednesday between two Pashtun factions in eastern Afghanistan after the acting governor of Paktia Province moved his force close to the city of Gardez, where a "peace convoy" of Afghan leaders was meeting. The convoy has been traveling around the province over the past week in an effort to unite Pashtuns. (Full story)

Afghan interim leader Hamid Karzai on Wednesday asked the U.N. Security Council to extend and expand the mandate of multinational security forces in Afghanistan. "Our people look upon the presence of these forces as a sign of continued commitment of the international community to peace and security in Afghanistan," Karzai told the 15-person body. (Full story)

A small boat approached within 300 feet of the Navy command ship USS Blue Ridge off Brunei on two separate nights in the past week, U.S. intelligence officials said. The movements were similar to those employed by terrorists during the attack on the USS Cole in October 2000.

U.S. marshals responsible for the detention and transportation of accused terrorist Zacharias Moussaoui and Taliban American John Walker Lindh said Wednesday they have increased already tight security at the Virginia jail and federal courthouse where the two are awaiting trial. (Full story)


  •  Summary

  •  Update

  •  Key questions

  •  Who's who


Attack on America
 CNN.COM SPECIAL REPORT
 CNN NewsPass Video 
Agencies reportedly got hijack tips in 1998
 MORE STORIES
Intelligence intercept led to Buffalo suspects
Report cites warnings before 9/11
 EXTRA INFORMATION
Timeline: Who Knew What and When?
Interactive: Terror Investigation
Terror Warnings System
Most wanted terrorists
What looks suspicious?
In-Depth: America Remembers
In-Depth: Terror on Tape
In-Depth: How prepared is your city?
 RESOURCES
On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands?
On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

KEY QUESTIONS:

Are the detainees at Guantanamo Bay being treated humanely, as the United States contends? (Click here for more)

Should the Guantanamo Bay detainees by classified as prisoners of war? (Click here for more)

Do the remaining Taliban and al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan still pose a threat?

How long will the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan last?

What is the goal of the U.S. campaign in Afghanistan? What is the key to the mission's success?

WHO'S WHO:

George W. Bush: U.S. president

Hamid Karzai: A Pashtun tribal leader and the chairman of Afghanistan's interim government.

Osama bin Laden: A wealthy Saudi expatriate living in Afghanistan who U.S. authorities cite as one of the primary suspects in masterminding the attacks.

Condoleezza Rice: U.S. national security adviser.

Colin Powell: U.S. secretary of state. A former Army general, Powell also served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

Gen. Richard B. Myers: Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Gen. Tommy Franks: Head of U.S. Central Command.

Donald Rumsfeld: U.S. secretary of defense.

The Taliban: A group of Islamic fundamentalists, mainly from Afghanistan's Pashtun ethnic group, which is the country's largest ethnic group. The Taliban gained control of most of the country by 1997 and instituted an extreme form of Islamic law before their collapse in the U.S. war against terrorism.

Northern Alliance: A group of former mujahedeen fighters, mainly from minority ethnic groups that oppose the Taliban.

George Robertson: NATO secretary-general and former British defense minister.

George Tenet: CIA director

IMPACT:

The Bush administration's decision on how to classify the detainees could affect how they are treated while in custody and how long they are detained. The treatment of detainees also could influence international opinion about the U.S. war against terrorism.



 
 
 
 



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