Angelina Jolie as Mariane Perl
Daniel Pearl was a happy American journalist, from a New Jersey Jewish family, serving as South Asia Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal in Mumbai. He traveled to Karachi, with his french wife and also journalist, Mariane (Van Neyenhoff), to cover the alleged connection between Richard Reid (the “shoe bomber”) and Al-Qaeda.
The movie based on the book of Mariane Pearl, Daniel Pearl’s widow, on the tragic and brutal capture of Daniel in Karachi, the huge port city of Pakistan, in 2002.
Daniel requested an interview with one of the well know and connected islamist militant named Sheikh Mubarak Ali Gilani, on its way to the restaurant were they were to meet, on February the 1st 2002, Daniel never returned and was captured by the The National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty (NMRPS).
 Daniel Pearl |
 Mariane Pearl |
Mariane worries about her husband, were later confirmed by a mail she got from the kidnappers stating Daniel was held by Islamic militant who requested the liberation of some Guantanamo Pakistani prisoners and to stop the F-16 military aid from US government to Pakistan, in order to see Daniel back alive.
The original message:
“We give you one more day if America will not meet our demands we will kill Daniel. Then this cycle will continue and no American journalist could enter Pakistan.”
This hotmail message was accompanied by some pictures showing Daniel captured by the terrorists:
 Daniel Pearl Captive |
 Daniel Pearl captive |
 Daniel Pearl captive |
 Daniel Pearl captive |
Local authorities were alerted and with the time also American personnel from the FBI and the local embassy in order to run a full scale operation aiming for Daniel search and release. Pakistani interior intelligence, (detective Mir Zubair Mahmood) run a city wide search for anyone involved by tracking both the IP (helped by CIA computer experts) of the mail received and the source of the different mobile phone calls that were made from suspects’ devices.
Later on Colin Powell and Musharraf requested the release of Daniel though we all know all efforts led to nothing.
9 days latter Daniel was assassinated.
A video recording was made and released on February 29th 2002, which his captures named it: “The Slaughter of the Spy-Journalist, the Jew Daniel Pearl”. In it the terrorist made Daniel said antizionist propaganda while showing images of dead Muslims, together with violent video excerpts from the middle east. At the end of the video, the terrorist behead Daniel.
This barbaric document was sent to the house were Marine resided and latter on got into the internet and the rest of the media.
Daniel Pearl video
He sentenced to death for his participation, likewise, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, allegedly 3rd in command in Al-qaeda, acknowledge that he had personally beheaded Daniel.(“I decapitated with my blessed right hand the head of the American Jew Daniel Pearl, in the City of Karachi, Pakistan”)
British Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, the mastermind of the kidnapping and killing, surrendered to an ISI agent, that concealed him a week, keeping him away from the Pakistani police. Saeed took part in the 1994 kidnapping of westerners in India, later incarcerated and release while doing time in the Indian jail in exchange for the hijacked Indian plane of 1999.
 Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh |
 Khalid Sheikh Mohammed |
Daniel body was later found on May 16 2002, not far from the place he was held captured, in a grave 30 miles from the city, cut in ten decomposed pieces. The body was found after one of the militants who took actual part in the dismemberment by knife of Daniel, was caught by Pakistani police and confessed his part in the crime.
Daniel Pearl body found
Daniel family created the Daniel Pearl Foundation with the purpose of cross-cultural understanding through journalism, music, and innovative communications.
On may 17 2010, president Obama signed “Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act”, Mariane and his son Adam were present as well.
Angelina Jolie plays Mariane in this almost solo play searching for her husband, while being pregnant of Adam, their child. She will show in the film a desperate woman, worrying for the whereabouts of Daniel, handling the tens of people at her resident handling the investigation. After the drastic outcome of Daniel’s kidnapping and assassination, she would travel to France where she resides till today with her only son.
May Daniel rest in piece.
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