Pearl kidnap suspect remanded

Suspected kidnapper Omar Saeed during an earlier court appearance

KARACHI, Pakistan (CNN) -- Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, the self-confessed mastermind of the kidnapping of American reporter Daniel Pearl, has been detained for a further 14 days following his court appearance in Karachi on Monday.

Omar Saeed made a brief appearance before the anti-terrorism court along with two other men linked to the kidnapping. A government spokesman said the order to further detain Omar Saeed was made during his appearance.

The two other men were Sheikh Abil and Salman Saquib, accused of sending emails linked to the kidnapping.

With white hoods over their heads, the three accused were hustled in and out of the Sindh High Court building in under an hour, past crowds of reporters and TV cameras.

The hearing was behind closed doors in the judge's chambers.

Raja Qureshi, the prosecutor general, told CNN that the judge granted a police request to hold the suspects as police continue their probe.

It was anticipated Omar Saeed might make a full confession before the court and there was speculation that formal charges of murder and kidnapping would be presented.

However, police say the investigation into the case is complex and they are seeking more evidence before formal charges are filed.

The prosecutor said authorities intend to recover the body and the weapon used to kill Pearl.

Pearl's death was confirmed on February 21, but the date of his murder is not known.

Omar Saeed was arrested on February 12 in Karachi and confessed during police interrogation to planning the kidnapping. His 13-day remand ends Monday.

Court appearance

In his first court appearance last week, Omar Saeed said he arranged Pearl's kidnapping and told the judge he believed Pearl was dead -- a claim widely discredited after earlier claims the reporter was alive.

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He rejected the opportunity to have an attorney represent him saying he would not defend himself against any charges.

Also detained are three accused of sending e-mails showing the 38-year-old reporter with a gun to his head and listing demands.

A nationwide manhunt is now underway for at least four other members of Omar Saeed's group suspected of carrying out the brutal murder.

While the United States has asked for Omar Saeed's extradition, Pakistan maintains it must complete its own investigation first.

Even before Pearl's death was confirmed, a federal grand jury in the U.S. had been considering criminal charges. While there was no indication any charges would be filed, a U.S. government source told CNN that one of those who may be charged is Omar Saeed.

In an unexpected twist, government officials told CNN Sunday that in January the Bush administration asked Pakistan to arrest Omar Saeed in connection with the 1994 kidnapping of three British tourists and one American in India. U.S. officials said they believe Pakistani officials attempted to find him without success.

The Britons -- Paul Rideout, Myles Croston and Rhys Partridge -- said they had been befriended and then lured to a remote Indian village by a man they knew as Rohit Sharma who said he was a student at the LSE.

The tourists were freed after 10 days of captivity in a shootout in which a kidnapper and two policemen were killed.

Indian police, with the help of the British tourists, later identified Rohit Sharma as Omar Saeed.

Pearl's kidnap has some of the same hallmarks. Investigators say the Wall Street Journal reporter was also lured into a trap.