(CNN) -- Pakistani police say they suspect two boys of nearly killing a Pakistani teenage girl internationally famous for campaigning for girls' education.
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.
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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.
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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"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."
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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.
A 'miracle for us'
Malala is recovering in Great Britain, where a team of international doctors are caring for her. She's made some progress, but her caregivers have said she has a long, hard road ahead.
Her father, Ziauddin Yousufzai, has described her survival as a "miracle for us."
Malik, the Pakistani interior minister, visited Malala's hospital in Birmingham, England, on Monday. He later met with foreign ministers from Britain and the United Arab Emirates. The UAE provided the air ambulance that flew Malala from Pakistan, where she was treated in the initial days after the attack, to the United Kingdom.
"The people of the UAE were appalled by what happened to Malala, which is why we helped to bring her for medical care in the UK," Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed said, adding the emirates believe girls should be educated. Malala is in "our prayers," he said, according to a release from British Foreign Secretary William Hague.
Hague said he personally thanked the team of doctors helping Malala.
Hague said officials are "determined to do all we can to champion education for women and girls in Pakistan."
In his interview with CNN, Malik was asked about the progress of the investigation.
He replied by saying, "Within 24 hours we were in a position to identify almost everybody."
He said Pakistan should not involve the military in finding Malala's attackers.
"A military solution is not the solution," he said.
'Pride of Pakistan'
When Malala was 11, she worked with the BBC and published a blog in 2009 detailing her struggles to attend school in Swat.
In January of that year, the Taliban issued an edict ordering that no school should educate girls.
As Malala breathed on a ventilator and the world grew increasingly outraged about her shooting, thousands in Pakistan rallied. Many were aghast that the Taliban would attack a teenage girl.
The Taliban issued a statement online saying that if Malala lived, they'd come after her again.
In his interview with CNN, Malik called the teenager "the pride of Pakistan."
He said that the country "would love her to come back."
If Malala were to return to Pakistan, guards would protect her family, with a female contingent surrounding Malala.
The government would pay to provide the service, he said.
Malik told CNN that he knew Malala is doing well in the hospital because she has asked for her schoolbooks so she can study.
He said that if she comes back to Pakistan, they'll find her old books and give them to her.
CNN's Matthew Chance contributed to this report.
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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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