US shooter held for 14 more days
Source: Agencies |
February 12, 2011, Saturday
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PAKISTANI police said yesterday that an American held in a pair of shootings committed "cold-blooded murder," while a judge ordered his detention extended for 14 days and asked the Pakistani government to clarify if he has diplomatic immunity.
The United States says 36-year-old Raymond Allen Davis shot two Pakistanis in Lahore on January 27 because they were trying to rob him. Washington insists his detention is illegal under international agreements covering diplomats because he was a US Embassy staffer, and American officials have begun curbing diplomatic contacts and threatening to cut off billions in aid to Pakistan if he is not freed.
Yesterday morning, a judge ordered that Davis be taken from police custody and held in a local jail for two more weeks. In response to defense requests, he also ordered that the government tell the court in the coming days whether the American has diplomatic immunity.
Later in the day, Lahore police chief Aslam Tareen declared that a police investigation into the shootings determined Davis was not defending himself.
"It was an intentional and cold blooded murder," Tareen told a news conference.
He said Davis told interrogators that one of the Pakistani men had pointed his pistol at him. However, Tareen said the slain man's pistol had been examined and officers found that all the bullets were in the magazine and no bullet was found in the chamber. Police also determined that the American shot the second Pakistani in the back as he tried to flee, Tareen said.
The police chief said the issue of diplomatic immunity was a government matter but the police had sent a preliminary charge sheet recommending Davis face a murder trial.
The judge's push for clarity on whether Davis has immunity could give US officials room to maneuver with their Pakistani counterparts before Davis' next hearing, set for February 25.
"We regret that this incident resulted in loss of life, however eyewitness reports on the day of the incident showed the American diplomat acted in self defense," said Courtney Beale, a US Embassy spokeswoman.
According to Pentagon records, Davis is a former Special Forces soldier who left the army in 2003.
Public records show he runs a company with his wife called Hyperion Protective Services.
The US Embassy says he has a diplomatic passport. It also said in a recent statement that the US had notified the Pakistani government of Davis' assignment more than a year ago.
The United States says 36-year-old Raymond Allen Davis shot two Pakistanis in Lahore on January 27 because they were trying to rob him. Washington insists his detention is illegal under international agreements covering diplomats because he was a US Embassy staffer, and American officials have begun curbing diplomatic contacts and threatening to cut off billions in aid to Pakistan if he is not freed.
Yesterday morning, a judge ordered that Davis be taken from police custody and held in a local jail for two more weeks. In response to defense requests, he also ordered that the government tell the court in the coming days whether the American has diplomatic immunity.
Later in the day, Lahore police chief Aslam Tareen declared that a police investigation into the shootings determined Davis was not defending himself.
"It was an intentional and cold blooded murder," Tareen told a news conference.
He said Davis told interrogators that one of the Pakistani men had pointed his pistol at him. However, Tareen said the slain man's pistol had been examined and officers found that all the bullets were in the magazine and no bullet was found in the chamber. Police also determined that the American shot the second Pakistani in the back as he tried to flee, Tareen said.
The police chief said the issue of diplomatic immunity was a government matter but the police had sent a preliminary charge sheet recommending Davis face a murder trial.
The judge's push for clarity on whether Davis has immunity could give US officials room to maneuver with their Pakistani counterparts before Davis' next hearing, set for February 25.
"We regret that this incident resulted in loss of life, however eyewitness reports on the day of the incident showed the American diplomat acted in self defense," said Courtney Beale, a US Embassy spokeswoman.
According to Pentagon records, Davis is a former Special Forces soldier who left the army in 2003.
Public records show he runs a company with his wife called Hyperion Protective Services.
The US Embassy says he has a diplomatic passport. It also said in a recent statement that the US had notified the Pakistani government of Davis' assignment more than a year ago.
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