Hunt in Reporter Case May Broaden

Muslim extremists suspected in the killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl may have slipped out of the country, possibly to their home bases in the Persian Gulf region, according to intelligence sources here.

Investigators have been working closely with FBI agents in an attempt to identify and locate the newest suspects, whom they described as “hard-core” jihad adherents who could be intent on further attacks, the sources said Sunday.

“There is a whole gang involved in the kidnapping,” said one intelligence official, who requested anonymity. “Non-Pakistanis are also members of this gang, including people from the Gulf region.”

In Washington, White House and Justice Department officials confirmed that the suspected leader of the gang, Ahmad Omar Saeed Sheikh, a British-born Muslim militant, had been on the U.S. “radar screen” in the weeks before the kidnapping and that, starting Jan. 9, the United States formally--and aggressively--sought Pakistan’s help in capturing him. The most recent request for assistance came Jan. 24--the day after Pearl was kidnapped but before Sheikh’s apparent involvement in the case was known.

The intelligence official in Pakistan would not identify the country or countries where the suspected gang members might be hiding, or speculate on state sponsorship, but did not rule out the possibility of a link to the Al Qaeda terror network.

Authorities here first said they suspected foreign involvement in the Pearl case several days ago, but Sunday’s acknowledgment that the culprits might have slipped out of Pakistan was the first indication that the pursuit was increasingly taking on multinational dimensions.

Pakistan will seek foreign help and is continuing a “close sharing of information” with U.S. authorities, said the intelligence official, who added, “We are keen to solve this case because we do not want the perpetrators of this crime to be emboldened by Daniel’s murder.”

Pearl, 38, the Journal’s South Asia bureau chief, disappeared Jan. 23 in the port city of Karachi after he was lured to a restaurant with the promise of an interview with a Muslim cleric. Since Thursday night, when the U.S. Consulate in Karachi received a videotape revealing his death, officials have been alert to additional attacks on Western targets, though they stressed that security measures already were tight at U.S. facilities.

Pearl’s kidnappers, who called themselves the National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty, had demanded the release of all Pakistani prisoners held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the return of the former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, as well as the delivery of promised F-16 fighters to the Pakistani military.

Sheikh confessed to the kidnapping during his first court appearance two weeks ago. He is to appear in an anti-terrorism court again today in Karachi. Investigators say he remains the best hope for solving the case and locating Pearl’s body, according to a source close to the investigation.

“Sheikh Omar holds the key to tracking down the murderers and unearthing the other plans the group might have of kidnapping and murder,” the source said.

A Justice Department official in Washington said Sunday that the department had asked Pakistan to hand Sheikh over to the United States “before the kidnapping.”

Sheikh’s involvement in the 1994 kidnapping in India of four Western tourists--including an American--prompted the request, the official said. Indian police rescued the victims and imprisoned Sheikh and his accomplices. Five years later, his supporters hijacked an Indian airliner, demanding Sheikh’s release. The Indian government complied after the hijackers killed a passenger and dumped his body on the tarmac.

The Justice Department official noted that “an indictment or a criminal charge would be necessary” before the U.S. could seek extradition. A Bush administration official confirmed Sunday that Sheikh was indicted by a U.S. grand jury several months ago in connection with the 1994 kidnapping.

Early last month, the Justice Department asked the National Security Council to have the State Department request that Pakistan “locate this guy and . . . take him into custody,” a White House official said Sunday.

On Jan. 9, U.S. Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin made that request of Pakistan’s foreign minister, the official said. She and FBI Director Robert Mueller met with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Jan. 24. They asked Musharraf for his help in finding Pearl and, apparently unaware of Sheikh’s involvement, reiterated their request for Sheikh’s capture. Musharraf promised to help on both counts, the official said.

Asked why the Justice Department had not sought Sheikh earlier, the White House official said, “You’d have to ask Justice what brought him back up on their radar screen.” Justice Department officials declined to comment on that aspect of the investigation.

At least two Pakistanis are being sought in connection with Pearl’s kidnapping, including one man believed to have snatched Pearl, Amjad Hussain Farooqi. Another, Mohammed Hashim Qadeer, is believed to be at large despite claims by his family that he was killed during fighting in Afghanistan. Three other suspects have been charged with aiding the kidnappers by sending e-mail messages and photos.

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Mohan reported from Islamabad and Meyer from Washington.