LAHORE, March 14: A man appeared in the office of an Urdu daily on Thursday, claiming to have killed US journalist Daniel Peal.

However, later talking to newsmen, he confessed that he did own the killing in a bid to save Ahmed Omar Sheikh, one of the prime suspects in Pearl’s murder case.

The man identified himself as Adnan alias Sunny, about 28, a driver by profession, said he belonged to Jaish Mohammed, a banned organization. He said he joined the organization in last September. He said he was up set over his domestic problems and was planning to commit suicide but later decided to give his life for a better cause.

Andnan said that he made the plan last night. He said he believed that Omar Shiekh had no hand in the killing of American journalist and his confession of owning the murder would have bailed him out. He called Omar Shiekh a great freedom fighter.

Adnan said he had been in Jail from 1989 to 1994 in a murder case where he got impressed from an activist of Lashkar Jhangvi.

He said his family had disowned him a couple of years ago. Lately, he said he developed differences with his only brother and sister-in-law. He said his brother had filed an application with the Shahdman police against him a couple of weeks ago which had made him think suicide.

The city district police officer (DPO) Javed Noor said the police would take action against Adnan if there was any provision in law.