A young man Thursday claimed that he has killed American journalist Daniel Pearl in Karachi and threw his body into the sea.

Muhammad Adnan Khan, claiming to be member of the Kashmiri independence group, Jaish Muhammad, entered the offices of Urdu-language newspaper Khabrain in Lahore city yesterday and told journalists there that he killed Pearl, the South Asian bureau chief of Wall Street Journal.

Editor-in-Chief of Khabrain, Zia Shahid contacted police, who rushed to the newspaper office and arrested him. Police say investigations have begun into Adnan Khan's possible contact with other groups and individuals.

Adnan Khan, which is his nickname, said that he hacked Daniel Pearl to death, chopped him into pieces and threw them in the ocean near the coastal area of Karachi.

Daniel Pearl, who was working on news about Islamic groups, was kidnapped on January 23 in Karachi.

The government of Pakistan received a video cassette one month after his arrest, in which he was shown being killed. However, Adnan Khan said that Omar Sheikh was not the murderer.

He added that he wanted to surrender in Khabrain office to record his arrest. He told the journalists he was afraid that he might be killed if caught by police.

On the same day America accused Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh of "methodically setting a death trap" for murdered journalist Daniel Pearl. The British-born mujahid was indicted on two charges. The charges carry the death penalty.

A federal grand jury issued the indictments - for hostage-taking and for hostage-taking leading to Mr Pearl's death. Authorities also revealed - or unsealed - an earlier indictment that charges Mr Saeed with a 1994 kidnapping.

Announcing the grand jury's decision, the US Attorney General, John Ashcroft, said Mr Saeed "methodically set a death trap for Daniel Pearl, lured him into it with lies and savagely ended his life".

At this stage, the indictments are something of a formality. The US has indicated to Pakistan that it wishes for Mr Saeed to be extradited to face a trial in the US. Islamabad has said it is prepared to discuss this, but wants to bring Mr Saeed to justice in Pakistan before any such extradition.

Mr Ashcroft said yesterday that negotiations over Mr Saeed between the two countries were continuing.

"We are signalling our clear interest in trying him on these charges and bringing him to justice in the United States," he said. "Where freedom is feared, men and women like Daniel Pearl will always be hunted, but where freedom is cherished they will be forever defended."
The grand jury was formed in New Jersey because e-mails Mr Saeed allegedly sent to Mr Pearl under the name Chaudrey Bashir, were routed through the e-mail system of The Wall Street Journal, which is based in the state.

The indictment said that Mr Saeed, currently being held with a number of alleged accomplices, acted "in order to compel the US government to do and abstain form doing certain acts".

Mr Saeed, a former LSE student, is also accused of spending time at Afghan training camps and fighting alongside Taliban and al-Qa'ida forces during US attacks last September and October.