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Pakistani Foreign Ministry said Thursday that an employee of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested this week for carrying ammunition does not enjoy diplomatic immunity.
Police said Joel Cox was arrested on Monday evening in the southern port city of Karachi while attempting to board a domestic flight to the capital Islamabad, after the Airport Security Force (ASF) discovered 15 bullets of 9 mm caliber and a pistol clip in his baggage.
The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Tasnim Aslam, told a weekly press briefing that the U.S. had sought counselor access to its national and that had been granted.
She confirmed the U.S. embassy had contacted the government about the arrest of its national.
The U.S. authorities said that Cox was in Pakistan for police training. However, a police officer in Karachi said investigators had not yet confirmed the claim.
Rao Anwar said the police are investigating how a person can carry ammunition when he is in Pakistan on a visit visa, adding that Cox has failed to provide any document that allows him to keep bullets.
A local judge in Karachi has ordered Cox to remain in police custody until May 10 for questioning. He is also facing anti- terrorism charges, police said.
However the District and Sessions in Karachi's Malir area on Thursday accepted Cox's bail plea and ordered his release.
The bail was granted by the payment of one million rupees. Cox claimed in his bail application that the ammunition found in his baggage was not his and that he was being implicated in the case.
Local media reported the police investigators found it difficult to interrogate Cox as he insisted that the U.S. embassy should be contacted for all the queries.
The devices seized from Cox's possession include pen camera and locator gadget. Rao Anwar said the people Cox had met during his stay in the country were also being interrogated.
Spokesperson for the U.S. State Department Jen Psaki said the U. S. officials are coordinating with the Pakistani authorities to resolve this matter.
"This individual detained is an employee of the FBI who was on a temporary duty assignment to provide routine assistance to the legal attache at the U.S. mission. But we are coordinating closely to resolve this matter with authorities, and we are hopeful in that regard," she told a routine briefing on Wednesday.
