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CNN Live At Daybreak

Sheikh Ordered To Remain in Pakistani Custody For Two More Weeks

Aired February 25, 2002 - 05:01   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 security is extremely tight around an anti-terrorism court for a hooded Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh. The prime suspect in the kidnapping of American reporter Daniel Pearl appeared before a judge in Karachi, Pakistan today. The judge ordered Sheikh to remain in custody for another two weeks.

And as the suspected ringleader of the Daniel Pearl kidnapping appeared before a judge today, we have word of a lost opportunity to arrest him before the Pearl abduction.

CNN's Chris Burns is in Karachi, Pakistan this morning with more -- Chris, good morning.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Well, there was a hearing today under intense security, very intense. Police, dozens of police armed with Kalashnikovs escorted armored cars bringing in Sheikh Omar Saeed along with two other suspects who are held in this slaying, kidnap/slaying of Daniel Pearl.

It was a hearing that lasted just a few minutes in the judge's chamber behind closed doors, where prosecutors are asking that they be given more time to build their case, that since the video that was released over the weekend showing the brutal slaying of Daniel Pearl, they would like more time to find Pearl's body as well as the weapon that was used to kill him and to try to find more evidence and more suspects.

They say they need more time to do that. The judge agreed, agreed to give 14 more days of custody over Sheikh Omar Saeed as well as Sheikh Mohammed Abil (ph) and Salman Saquib. Those are two suspects believed to have been involved in sending the e-mails showing Daniel Pearl in captivity with a gun to his head as well as the e-mail demands that the U.S. release Pakistani prisoners from Guantanamo Bay.

The accused, however, complained to the judge that the police were trying to coerce them, saying that the police were trying to make them sign -- put their signatures on blank sheets of paper. The judge said that he told the police and the investigators back off, don't coerce the suspects, but you can have two more weeks to build your case.

That means that's up to March 12. That would be the next hearing, logically, that the judge would hear. Again what the prosecutors would like to do at that time, it is quite possible that the prosecutors would file what is expected to be kidnapping and murder charges. Those are capital offenses here -- Carol.

COSTELLO: We did notice that Sheikh had his head covered. Is that a normal thing when police bring a suspect into court?

BURNS: Well, that's what they've been doing with these suspects in the kidnap case. That is not highly unusual. Obviously, they wanted to try to make security as intense as possible and to, I guess to ward off any possible attempts at zeroing in on any one of them. However, it could also be that they don't want them to talk at this point, they just want the judges to hear the case behind closed doors until the investigation proceeds and perhaps brings about formal charges.

COSTELLO: And we understand the wheels of justice move pretty slowly in Pakistan.

BURNS: Well, it does take time and obviously they have a very important case here. The authorities had been bullish throughout, since January 23, when Daniel Pearl was taken captive, that they would get to the bottom of the case. They did arrest these suspects rather quickly. However, they didn't get a hold of these other suspects, including the man believed to have been holding him, Amjad Hussain Farooqi.

He is still at large as well as at least one Arab suspect who they believe perhaps could mean that there might be an al Qaeda link to all of this. Also, the suspects had belonged to groups believed to have had links to al Qaeda. So there could very well be an al Qaeda factor here in this investigation -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Chris Burns, we'll talk to you again in our next hour. Thank you.

"Newsweek" magazine actually broke the story of the U.S. indictment and request for Ahmed Omar Saeed Shiehk. "Newsweek" Washington bureau chief Denial Klaidman spoke about the chances Sheikh may be extradited to the United States now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL KLAIDMAN, "NEWSWEEK" MAGAZINE: There are all sorts of political and diplomatic sensitivities here. The Pakistanis are not going to want to simply turn over Sheikh to the United States. They don't want to play into the hands of the, of Sheikh and the other terrorists in the first place, who blame the Pakistanis of being essentially tools of the United States government. So they are concerned about that. They're worried that this will further inflame the militants in Pakistan.

And so how we ultimately get hold of Sheikh and put him on trial in the United States remains to be seen. And, in fact, what may end up happening is he'll have to be tried in Pakistan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Speaking of the failure to arrest Sheikh before the Pearl kidnapping, Klaidman says the wheels of justice move especially slowly in Pakistan, as you heard Chris Burns explain.

Our CNN.com Web site has complete coverage of the Pearl case, including viewer e-mails. Click onto CNN.com to give us your two cents worth on the story. AOLers, the keyword for you is, of course, CNN.

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