Swat Valley, Pakistan (CNN) -- Six men have been arrested in connection with the shooting of Malala Yousufzai, the teenage activist who spoke out against the Taliban, but the main suspect remained at large, Pakistani police said Wednesday.
Police identified Atta Ullah Khan, a 23-year-old man from the Swat district where Malala was attacked, as the primary suspect. Police said they were searching for Khan, who was studying for a master's degree in chemistry.
The Swat Valley in northwestern Pakistan is a Taliban redoubt.
Pakistani Christians attend a prayer service for the recovery of teen activist Malala Yousufzai in Lahore on Sunday, November 11. Pakistan celebrated Malala Day on Saturday as part of a global day of support for the teenager shot by the Taliban.
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In addition to arresting six men -- all of them from Swat -- police have detained Khan's mother, brother and fiancee. The suspect's relatives were not accused of involvement but are being questioned, a senior police official told CNN.
The official did not say what role Khan may have played.
Khan had studied for a Bachelor of Science degree in physics at Jahanzeb College in Swat.
Alam Zeb, the school's principal, said Khan had given school officials three or four dates of birth. Zeb condemned the attack and said he was surprised to hear that a former student may have been involved.
The 15-year-old girl, who has become a symbol of courage after being shot in the head by the Taliban for demanding education for girls, is being treated at a hospital in Birmingham, England.
On Wednesday, she remained in stable condition and "continues to make good progress," the hospital's website said. She is expected to need "a significant period of rest and recuperation" before undergoing reconstructive surgery, Dr. Dave Rosser, medical director of University Hospitals Birmingham, said last week.
Malala was fighting an infection, but was able to move her extremities and has stood with help from nurses, the hospital said.
Malala's family remains in Pakistan.
Malala can't speak because a tube has been inserted into her trachea to protect her airway, which was swollen after her gunshot injury, but she was writing coherent sentences, Rosser said.
The Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for the October 9 shooting and vowed to kill Malala, if she recovers.
Journalist Saima Mohsin and CNN's Nasir Habib contributed to this report from Swat
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Pakistani Christians attend a prayer service in Lahore on Sunday. In the past month, Malala, 15, has gone from an intensive care unit in Pakistan, showing no signs of consciousness, to walking, writing, reading and smiling in a hospital in the UK.
Pakistani supporters hold photographs of Malala as they stand alongside burning candles during a ceremony to mark Malala Day in Karachi on Saturday, November 10. The teen activist was shot in the head by the Taliban as she rode home from school in a van last month. She had defied the militant group by insisting on the right of girls to go to school. The attack has stirred outrage in Pakistan and around the world.
Pakistani students shout slogans near photographs of Malala in Karachi on Saturday.
A Pakistani girl carries a photograph of Malala in Karachi to mark Malala Day.
Pakistani students attend a Malala Day ceremony in Lahore on Saturday.
A Pakistani student in Lahore writes a message on a placard on Saturday.
Indian teachers add finishing touches to a "Malala Rangoli" at a high school in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
Malala sits up in her hospital bed with her father, Ziauddin, and her two younger brothers, Atal Khan, right, and Khushal Khan on Friday, October 26, at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham in Birmingham, England.
Pakistani human rights activists light candles during a Sunday, October 21, vigil for Malala Yousufzai in Lahore.
Students at the Sacred Heart Cathedral School in Lahore attend special prayers on Friday, October 19, for Malala's recovery.
Campaigners gather Friday for a vigil for Malala in Birmingham, England.
An activist with the Association for the Advancement of Feminism lights candles during a vigil in Hong Kong on Friday.
Activists light candles during Friday's vigil in Hong Kong.
Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik puts final touches on a sand sculpture in honor of Malala at Puri Beach, India, on Tuesday, October 16.
Pakistani demonstrators chant slogans during a protest against the assassination attempt by the Taliban on Tuesday in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Pakistani activists of the Islamic Sunni Tehreek party carry flags at a rally in Islamabad on Sunday, October 14.
Veiled Pakistani women participate in Sunday's rally.
Supporters of a Pakistani political party, Muttahida Quami Movement, gather during a protest procession for Malala in Karachi, Pakistan, on Sunday.
Pakistani leaders of the movement sit in front of a poster of Malala at a procession on Sunday in Karachi.
A Pakistani youth places an oil lamp next to a photograph of teen activist Malala Yousufzai on Friday, October 12, in Karachi, Pakistan.
Pakistani school girls pray for the recovery of teen activist Malala Yousufzai at their school in Peshawar on Friday.
Pakistani hospital workers carry Malala on a stretcher at a hospital following the attack on Tuesday, October 9. Malala was shot in the head while riding home in a school van in the Taliban-heavy Swat Valley, officials said.
Supporters hold portraits of Malala as they pray for her well-being in Karachi, Pakistan, on Wednesday. Malala gained fame for blogging about how girls should have rights in Pakistan, including the right to learn.
A Pakistani Muslim prays for Malala during Friday prayers in Karachi. Malala, whose writing earned her Pakistan's first National Peace Prize, also encouraged young people to take a stand against the Taliban -- and to not hide in their bedrooms.
Supporters place candles to pay tribute to Malala in Islamabad on Wednesday.
A Pakistani female activist holds a photograph of Malala and prays for her recovery in Islamabad on Saturday.
Pakistani students pray for Malala at a school in Mingora on Thursday.
Pakistani Muslims bow their heads and pray for Malala during Friday prayers in Karachi.
Pakistani school girls pray for the Malala's recovery on Wednesday. Over the weekend, the teen moved her limbs after doctors "reduced sedation to make a clinical assessment," military spokesman Maj. Gen. Asim Bajwa said.
A Pakistani female covers her face during prayers in Karachi on Wednesday.
Pakistani civil society activists carry banners in Islamabad on Wednesday as they shout ant-Taliban slogans during a protest against the assassination attempt.
Children of Pakistani journalists and civil society activists light candles in Islamabad on Wednesday.
Pakistani Christians attend a mass prayer for the recovery of Malala at Fatima Church in Islamabad on Thursday.
Pakistani Christians attend a mass praying for the recovery of Malala at a church in Lahore on Sunday.
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