WASHINGTON, Feb 15: A report here on Friday quoted some Pakistani officials as confirming the claim of Shaikh Omar Saeed, the main suspect in the Daniel Pearl kidnapping case, that he (Omar) had turned himself in on Feb 5.

The report, in The Washington Post, pointed out that although Saeed was first said to have been arrested on Tuesday in Lahore, he had himself said in court he had originally surrendered on Feb 5.

Government officials denied this, but “sources close to the investigation disclosed that Saeed did in fact turn himself in on Feb 5 to Ejaz Shah, the home secretary of Punjab province. Shah took him to some non-police officials who decided to hold back the announcement of his surrender until Musharraf reached Washington.”s