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CNN Live At Daybreak

Prime Suspect Arrested, Pearl Still Missing

Aired February 13, 2002 - 05:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Pakistani authorities may have that suspected ringleader of Daniel Pearl -- in the Daniel Pearl kidnapping in custody, but the American journalist remains a captive.

CNN's Ben Wedeman has been following this case from the beginning and has an update from Karachi.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pakistani police have arrested a key suspect in the kidnapping of "Wall Street Journal" reporter Daniel Pearl and that suspect is now in Karachi. Midday Tuesday police arrested British born and educated Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, otherwise known as Sheikh Omar Saeed, in the northeastern Pakistani city of Lahore. The police say he surrendered without a struggle and was found in a house with his wife and young child.

Now, the Pakistani police have been describing Saeed for quite some time as the ringleader of the group holding the American journalist. And Mr. Saeed was the focus of an intense nationwide manhunt.

According to senior police sources, the 28-year-old Islamic militant in the course of primarily interrogations said that Mr. Pearl is alive and is in Karachi. Despite this early revelation, a senior police officer in Karachi says Mr. Saeed could be a tough nut to crack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMAL SHAH, PAKISTANI POLICE: My own professional assessment is that he is not an ordinary person and for him to -- Sheikh Omar. He is not an ordinary person. He is the one who is, I would say, highly educated and he is the one who is, I would feel, maybe a hard nut to crack. So I don't think it would be very easy to break him straight away. It will take time, I feel, to, before we can get all the details about Daniel from his interrogation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WEDEMAN: Saeed was transported from Lahore to Karachi late Tuesday evening. The police are hoping that now that they have this man in Karachi he will be able to lead them to the hideout where Mr. Pearl is being held.

I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Karachi.

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