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CNN Live At Daybreak

Investigation Focuses on Finding Pearl's Body

Aired February 22, 2002 - 06:01   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: And with the latest on the investigation into the Pearl killing, we turn to CNN's Chris Burns standing by live in Karachi, Pakistan -- Chris, what can you tell us this morning?

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, well quite right, the investigation is focusing in great part on the body of Daniel Pearl, trying to find that body. An official source close to the investigation says that that is one of the main goals of this investigation right now. Also, of course, trying to find out who exactly gave this tape to authorities.

This videotape that also what is on this tape is not the entire videotape of what had happened. This source tells CNN that it is actually jump cuts of three scenes. One of Daniel Pearl's speaking in captivity, the other -- one of the savage murder of Daniel Pearl, and three showing his body. But where is the rest of this videotape? How much more can they find out from the rest of it? And from those who took it and gave it to authorities?

Three is that they are now requestioning some of the suspects that are in captivity. That including Fahad Naseem, who was the man who was heard before a court yesterday, where he did admit that he did, indeed, send e-mails that showed Daniel Pearl in captivity with a gun to his head and the e-mail demanding that the U.S. release Pakistani prisoners in Guantanamo Bay.

He also had admitted his very close links and actually that he was acting on the instructions of Sheikh Omar Saeed, who is the -- considered the ringleader or mastermind behind this kidnapping. He also is in -- under police custody. And another gentleman who is yet to file a deposition as yet is Sheikh Mohammed Adel (ph), who is a former police investigator himself -- police investigator with the anti-terrorism squad here in Karachi -- very interesting what he might be able to say.

The -- of course the government here of President Pervez Musharraf has expressed its condolences to the family of Daniel Pearl. They also -- President Musharraf also pledged to track down the others that were involved in this kidnapping and to continue with his month- old crackdown on militant groups. About a month ago he banned five groups, some of which were also identified by the U.S. as being terror groups. And it is -- this kidnapping could be seen by some people as possibly a backlash against that crackdown -- Carol. COSTELLO: Chris, we have so many questions for you. Going back to the videotape, who -- I know we don't know who delivered it, but who did they deliver it to?

BURNS: Well that's a very interesting question, that the source that I spoke to close to the investigation said that they are very -- there are a lot of conflicting reports we're seeing from all different kinds of media today, and as yet the source I spoke to does not want to confirm any of these reports, a lot of them being, he says that they are incorrect.

At the same time, this source does not want to exactly say how the tape was given, who gave the tape, because that could actually compromise the investigation. So as little information that is given out on that part of the investigation could perhaps benefit the investigators in trying to get to the bottom of it -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, thank you very much for that report live this morning.

We want to turn our attention now to the dedicated journalists who put their lives on the line every day to bring us the news. Our own Ben Wedeman was wounded by gunfire while covering violence in the Middle East, and he joins us live by phone from Dubai this morning -- your thoughts Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes Carol, well I'm -- when I heard the news that Danny Pearl had been killed, I -- it was about 3:00 in the morning here in Dubai, and I sort of jumped out of the bed. It was something that we were afraid could be -- could happen and when I was in Karachi, of course, it was something that occupied us 24 hours a day.

And we were hoping along with our colleagues at the "Wall Street Journal" and all the other journalists in Karachi that we would never hear that news, but somehow it didn't really come -- it came as a -- as a shock, but not altogether a surprise. Many of us saw that there were indications that the investigation wasn't -- the search wasn't progressing very well and that increasingly things looked gloomier and gloomier -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Yeah, because we didn't hear anything for quite a long time. And we never heard anything ...

WEDEMAN: Yeah, that's right Carol. The last time any authenticatable (ph) communications was received from the kidnappers was the 30th of January, and of course the news that he had been killed came out three weeks later on the 21st. So certainly the signs were not good. The last communications was basically an extension of their deadline for the U.S. to meet their demands or they said Danny Pearl would be killed.

Now that set off a fairly frantic search in (ph) the graveyards of Karachi, but then that proved fruitless and the police said, at that point, if they don't see any evidence to the contrary -- in other words, if they didn't find a body, they would believe that Danny Pearl is still alive. And of course they still haven't found a body, but it appears that the videotape was fairly certain in what it showed -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I know you spent some time with Daniel Pearl's wife. Can you tell us about that?

WEDEMAN: Yes we interviewed her one night -- very late at night in Karachi, and really what impressed us, the entire CNN crew, was how strong she was, how optimistic she was, how proud of her husband she was, and we really expected to meet a woman distraught, at her wit's end. Instead, we met a woman who was very hopeful, very upbeat, very strong, and just to give you one little detail, before the interview we were setting up, and we provided -- we put out a glass of water -- a bottle of water and Kleenex -- we thought she would break down when she was discussing the situation of her husband.

She didn't. She was very, given the circumstances, cheerful almost. She was still optimistic that because of her husband's work and his dedication that -- she was confident that her husband would be released unharmed. And therefore, really our hearts go out to her because she must obviously be very upset at this point. And really she was, according to everything we heard, she was optimistic and hopeful to the very end -- Carol.

COSTELLO: She even wanted to exchange herself for her husband. All right, thank you Ben Wedeman, on the phone from Dubai this morning.

From Asia President Bush denounced the killers of Daniel Pearl. President Bush appeared with a group of flag-waving children at the Great Wall of China today, puts the final stop on Mr. Bush's six-day Asian trip. Earlier a grim-faced president had a message for Pearl's kidnappers and others like them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: 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.

May God bless Daniel Pearl.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And speaking to a group of Chinese University students today, Mr. Bush said liberty including freedom of religion is not to be feared, but welcomed.

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