American journalist Daniel Pearl. Ahmed Omar Sheikh, a British-born militant, was convicted and sentenced to death for his role in Pearl’s 2002 killing. Photo: WIkipedia

The Pakistani military said on Friday that it had foiled an attempt by militants to free Ahmed Omar Sheikh, the British-born militant who was convicted and sentenced to death for his role in the 2002 killing of the American journalist Daniel Pearl.

Lt. Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa, the military’s chief spokesman, said the militants had planned to break into a prison in Hyderabad, a city in Sindh Province in Pakistan’s south, to free Mr. Sheikh and other prisoners being held there. General Bajwa spoke at a news conference in the port city of Karachi, about 100 miles southwest of Hyderabad.

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