According to a video purporting to show his interrogation by police, an American arrested in the shooting deaths of two Pakistanis says he's a consultant for the U.S. consular-general in Lahore.
According to the AP report:
The video has been placed on YouTube (interview starts at 1:26). Its authenticity could not be independently verified.
Washington has demanded the release of the American, who has been identified as Raymond Allen Davis, saying he has diplomatic immunity and shot the armed Pakistanis in self-defense on January 27 in Lahore because they tried to rob him, something police also have said.
A third Pakistani died when he was allegedly hit by a car that rushed to the scene to help the U.S. official.
The killings in Lahore on January 27 added to already strong anti-U.S. sentiment in Pakistan. Islamist and nationalist commentators have portrayed the incident as an example of American brutality and called on the government -- often criticized for being to beholden to Washington -- to punish the man.
Davis faces potential murder charges, and his next court appearance is set for February 11.
What sort of work Davis does for the United States is a major issue because it could affect whether Pakistan accepts the U.S. assertion that he has diplomatic immunity.
-- RFE/RL
According to the AP report:
The clip first aired Wednesday night by the private Dunya television channel could deepen the mystery surrounding what's become a major diplomatic dispute between the United States and Pakistan, whose alliance is considered key to success in the war in Afghanistan.
The video has been placed on YouTube (interview starts at 1:26). Its authenticity could not be independently verified.
Washington has demanded the release of the American, who has been identified as Raymond Allen Davis, saying he has diplomatic immunity and shot the armed Pakistanis in self-defense on January 27 in Lahore because they tried to rob him, something police also have said.
A third Pakistani died when he was allegedly hit by a car that rushed to the scene to help the U.S. official.
The killings in Lahore on January 27 added to already strong anti-U.S. sentiment in Pakistan. Islamist and nationalist commentators have portrayed the incident as an example of American brutality and called on the government -- often criticized for being to beholden to Washington -- to punish the man.
Davis faces potential murder charges, and his next court appearance is set for February 11.
What sort of work Davis does for the United States is a major issue because it could affect whether Pakistan accepts the U.S. assertion that he has diplomatic immunity.
-- RFE/RL