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KARACHI, Friday (AFP)

Islamic militants have killed US journalist Daniel Pearl in a slaying President George W. Bush denounced as a "criminal and barbaric" act that would deepen American resolve in the war on terror.

"Our embassy in Pakistan has confirmed today that they have received evidence that Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl is dead," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said in a statement issued in Washington.

"We have informed Mr. Pearl's family and expressed our sincere condolences."

The State Department gave no details on how Pearl met his death but a US official said FBI investigators had seen a videotape on which the reporter "appeared to be dead."

Officials in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, where Pearl was abducted January 23, confirmed they received a videotape late Thursday of the slaying but would not give further details.

Bush said confirmation of the killing of the abducted Wall Street Journal reporter, four weeks after he was seized, deepened Washington's resolve to wipe out "agents of terror."

"Those who would threaten Americans, those who would engage in criminal, barbaric acts, need to know that these crimes only hurt their cause and only deepen the resolve of the United States of America to rid the world of these agents of terror," he said in Beijing.

The announcement that Pearl, 38, was dead, dealt a tragic blow to his wife Mariane, who is six months pregnant and had pleaded repeatedly to his kidnappers for mercy.

The US president, wrapping up a week-long trip to Asia, said he and US First Lady Laura Bush were "especially sad for his unborn child, who will now know his father only through the memory of others."

"We're really sad for his wife and his parents, and his friends and colleagues, who have been clinging to hope for weeks that he be found alive," Bush said somberly. "May God bless Daniel Pearl."

Pearl was kidnapped on January 23, after going to interview little known militant leader Mubarak Ali Shah Gilani as part of a story on the murky underworld of Islamic extremism in Pakistan in the aftermath of the September 11 terror attacks.

The kidnappers' trail went cold since the last of two e-mails was sent to news organisations last month, containing pictures of the reporter in chains with a gun pointed at his head.

His kidnappers demanded the release of Pakistani nationals among prisoners of the Afghan war held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and an improvement in the conditions of other captives.

Top US officials were adamant however that they would not bow to the demands even as authorities in Pakistan conducted a massive manhunt for Pearl and collected scraps of information.

"Both the United States and Pakistan are committed to identifying all the perpetrators of this crime and bringing them to justice," Boucher added. Pearl's family released a statement saying "our worst fears have been realized. Up until a few hours ago, we were confident that Danny would return safely, for we believed no human being would be capable of harming such a gentle soul."

"Danny's senseless murder lies beyond our comprehension. Danny was a beloved son, a brother, an uncle, a husband and a father to a child who he will never know," the family said.

Meanwhile United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan expressed deep sadness at the death of Daniel Pearl and saluted the courage of The Wall Street Journal correspondent killed by kidnappers in Pakistan.

"The crime highlights the enormous dangers encountered by journalists, particularly in areas of conflict and violence," Annan said through his spokesman, Fred Eckhard.

Annan extended his personal condolences to Pearl's wife, Mariane, his family, colleagues and "all others touched by this loss" and said he was "deeply saddened" by reports of the journalist's death.

"The secretary-general salutes the courage of Mr. Pearl and his colleagues around the world, and reiterates his long-standing commitment to the right of journalists to carry out their vital work without fearing for their security, freedom or life," Eckhard said.

"Where that right is threatened, all of us are placed at risk," he said.

The Wall Street Journal said its staff was "heartbroken."

"His murder is an act of barbarism that makes a mockery of everything Danny's kidnappers claimed to believe in," said Wall Street Journal publisher Peter Kann and the paper's managing editor Paul Steiger.

"They claimed to be Pakistani nationalists, but their actions must surely bring shame to all Pakistani patriots."

Pearl's murder will likely impose new pressure on Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, who has been under intense pressure over the past two months to crack down on militant Islamic groups.

In a statement, Musharraf pledged his government would "apprehend each and every member of the gang of terrorists involved in this gruesome murder." "Such acts of terror (are) painful experiences for the society and will not deter" the crackdown on Islamic extremists, Musharraf said.

A British-born Islamic militant known as Sheikh Omar, who is suspected of orchestrating the kidnapping, had earlier told a court that Pearl was dead.

Naseem told the court Thursday that Saquib took him to meet Omar two days before Pearl's abduction and suggested Pearl may have been targetted because he was Jewish.

"Omar told me they would kidnap a person who is a Jew and anti-Islam," Naseem said, according to a copy of his court statement.

Investigators believe up to 10 people were involved in abducting Pearl, who disappeared after heading off to interview a little known Islamic militant leader for a story on Muslim extremists.

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