Pakistan Releases Detained FBI Agent

Pakistan has freed a U.S. agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) after he was detained while trying to board a plane with ammunition in his baggage.

Pakistani Interior Minister Chaudry Nisar Ali Khan said on May 8 that a court had granted the unnamed FBI agent bail.

The agent was taken into custody on May 5 in Karachi when airport authorities discovered 15 bullets for a 9 mm handgun in the agent's bags while he was going through an airport security check before boarding a flight to Islamabad.

The U.S. State Department earlier confirmed the arrest of an FBI employee, saying he was "on temporary duty" to provide assistance at the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan.

U.S. officials say he was taking part in an anticorruption program.

Based on reporting by AFP and AP