Poland to seek arrests for beheading

WARSAW - Poland promised yesterday to issue international arrest warrants for Taliban militants after the apparent beheading of a Polish engineer in Pakistan, and officials said elements within the Pakistani government shared blame for the killing.

Pakistan's top diplomat in Poland firmly rejected the accusation that some members of the government are sympathetic to Islamic extremists, saying his country is snarled in a bitter fight with terrorist groups.

Without a body, Polish authorities were not able to officially confirm the death of Piotr Stanczak, but they said a seven-minute video purporting to show the 42-year-old's slaying appeared authentic. Copies of the video were delivered to journalists in Pakistan on Sunday.

Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski condemned the apparent killing as a "bestial execution" and said Poland would issue arrest warrants for the culprits.

"A crime was committed, so there has to be an investigation, a search for the culprits, and if possible putting them before the justice system," he said.

Justice Minister Andrzej Czuma said Polish intelligence has identified the kidnappers as members of a Taliban group. He said intelligence "has described the leadership of the group, their relatives, where they are located, their friends in Pakistani government structures."

ASSOCIATED PRESS