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E-mail says deadline extended for kidnapped reporter

The kidnappers sent an e-mail earlier this week showing Pearl with a gun to his head.

(CNN) -- A group claiming to be the kidnappers of a U.S. journalist in Pakistan said it would extend the deadline to kill him to Friday -- thus giving him a day's reprieve.

Writers claiming to be holding Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, 38, sent an unsigned e-mail to Pakistani and Western media. They said they would wait another day for their demands to be met before killing the reporter. (Full story)

The group's chief demand is the release of all Pakistanis being detained as a result of the U.S.-led war on terrorism.

The kidnappers, who call themselves the National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty, had threatened Wednesday to kill Pearl within 24 hours if their demands were not met.

Meanwhile, al Qaeda operatives apparently have been casing the United States for possible targets of future attacks, U.S. officials said, drawing that conclusion after finding photos and illustrations of U.S. landmarks and power plants in Afghanistan caves and safe houses. (Full story)

CNN.COM SPECIAL REPORT  CNN NewsPass Video  Agencies reportedly got hijack tips in 1998  MORE STORIES Intelligence intercept led to Buffalo suspects Report cites warnings before 9/11  EXTRA INFORMATION Timeline: Who Knew What and When? Interactive: Terror Investigation Terror Warnings System Most wanted terrorists What looks suspicious? In-Depth: America Remembers In-Depth: Terror on Tape In-Depth: How prepared is your city?  RESOURCES On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands? On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

Latest developments

• The first U.S. ship has joined coalition forces off the Somalian coast to intercept suspicious boats headed to the east African nation, a Navy spokesman said Thursday. The operation is designed to intercept ships suspected of transporting weapons and materials for establishing terrorist training camps in Somalia.

• Before the September 11 attacks, U.S. law enforcement officials had planned to deport suspected terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui -- who has since been charged with conspiracy in those attacks -- in a bid to learn more about the French national, federal officials said Thursday. The officials said the FBI had hoped French intelligence officials might have better luck gaining information from Moussaoui, 33, who has been in U.S. custody since mid-August. That plan was aborted once the United States was attacked.

• Joint military operations involving U.S. and Philippine troops have been launched officially in what is seen as the most significant expansion of the war on terrorism since the military campaign in Afghanistan. (Full story)

• Two rival Pashtun forces in the eastern Afghan city of Gardez fought for a second day Thursday as negotiators for the two sides attempted to resolve their differences, according to a spokesman for the head of a "peace convoy" of Pashtun leaders. The spokesman said there appeared to be about 60 casualties in the fighting.

• Ninety percent of the money collected by the American Red Cross to assist people affected by September 11 will be in their hands by the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks, the agency said Thursday. The new plan earmarks $240 million of the remaining $360 million in the fund for financial assistance, $80 million for long-term services and $25 million for immediate disaster relief, said former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, who is overseeing the fund's distribution. The balance of the fund will be used to cover direct support costs, the agency said. (Full story)

• U.S. marshals responsible for the detention and transportation of accused terrorist Zacharias Moussaoui and Taliban American John Walker Lindh said Wednesday they have increased already tight security at the Virginia jail and federal courthouse where the two are awaiting trial. (Full story)

• A small boat approached within 300 feet of the Navy command ship USS Blue Ridge off Brunei on two separate nights in the past week, U.S. intelligence officials said. The movements were similar to those employed by terrorists during the attack on the USS Cole, in October 2000.

• Dozens of flights at San Francisco International Airport were delayed Wednesday and thousands of passengers faced rescreening after a security breach involving a screening company that has been criticized for earlier lapses. Screeners detected residue on a man's shoes that could have come from explosives, then gave him back his shoes before he could be questioned further, an airport official said. (Full story)

• Afghan interim leader Hamid Karzai on Wednesday asked the U.N. Security Council to extend and expand the mandate of multinational security forces in Afghanistan. "Our people look upon the presence of these forces as a sign of continued commitment of the international community to peace and security in Afghanistan," Karzai said. (Full story)

• U.S. authorities have started interrogating the 158 al Qaeda and Taliban fighters at the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for the first time since they arrived from Afghanistan, a Pentagon official said.

• President Bush on Tuesday asked Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to limit congressional investigation into the events of September 11, sources told CNN. Vice President Dick Cheney called Daschle last Friday to make the same request. Daschle said he has not agreed to limit the investigations. (Full story)

• In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, Bush said the war against terrorism "is only beginning." He emphasized that homeland security must be strengthened because thousands of terrorists remain at large, and he pledged the United States would continue to be "steadfast, patient and persistent" in disrupting terrorist networks. (Full story)