Daniel Pearl

Pakistani police say they are no closer to finding kidnapped U.S. reporter Daniel Pearl, more than three weeks after his abduction.

Pakistani authorities have seized the man they believe masterminded and financed the kidnapping, British-born Islamic militant Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh. But police say their focus now has shifted to finding an accomplice who they believe actually carried out the abduction.

Police in the coastal city of Karachi say they were close to arresting the key suspect overnight, but he eluded capture. Meanwhile, authorities raided houses and detained several other people. The Reuters news agency quotes provincial police chief Syed Kamal Shah as saying authorities are questioning many people, but that there have been no major new developments.

Mr. Pearl disappeared on January 23. Police say the main suspect, known to the reporter as Imtiaz Siddiqui phoned Mr. Pearl twice that day, promising to take him to interview an elusive Islamic radical leader. Shortly afterwards, the reporter's captors sent out a series of chilling photographs showing him in chains and with a gun to his head.

Some information for this report provided by Reuters, AP and AFP.

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