Your trusted source

Pakistani police say they suspect two boys of nearly killing a Pakistani teenage girl internationally famous for campaigning for girls' education, CNN reported.

On October 9, Malala Yousufzai was on her school van in the Taliban-held Swat Valley when armed thugs stopped the vehicle and jumped on board. They demanded that other girls riding identify 15-year-old Malala. Then they shot two girls and fired at Malala, striking her in the head and neck.

At the time, Malala was well-known in Pakistan, and her profile was growing internationally. She had been campaigning since she was 11, encouraging her fellow Pakistanis to stand up to the Taliban who were trying to push girls from classrooms.

Pakistani authorities believe that one of the boys distracted the van driver, while the other asked someone to point out Malala, Pakistan's interior minister told CNN.

"Obviously they had done their homework," Rehman Malik said. "They had seen the vehicle of Malala going up and down, and accordingly they acted on that."

On Monday, police told CNN they were searching for two boys and a man they say drove the youths to the van.

Malik identified the adult suspect as Attah Ullah Khan, 23, but he did not name the boys.

Police said last week that they had arrested six men in connection with the shooting but were searching for Khan.

Khan is a masters' chemistry student, police said.