- US authorities confirm Joel Cox’s identity, say he was in Pakistan to train police
- Cox’s laptop computer and cell phone being analysed by forensics
US Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI) agent Joel Cox, who was arrested by Karachi police for attempting to board a flight carrying ammunition, is likely to be released on bail soon.
According to reports, the police is facing severe pressure over the arrest of the US agent and authorities were considering ways to resolve the situation.
Joel Cox had arrived in Pakistan three months ago to train Pakistani police. American authorities maintain that Cox was not armed during travel and that the 15 bullets of 9mm calibre were recovered from his luggage when he attempted to board a domestic flight between Karachi and Islamabad.
Police also seized three small knives and a wrench along with his laptop computer and cell phone. The electronic equipment has been sent to a forensics lab for analysis.
Cox appeared in court Tuesday to face anti-terrorism charges, which restrict unauthorized weapons or ammunition on commercial flights, and is scheduled to appear again on Saturday.
Employees for the FBI and other US agencies are allowed to carry weapons in Pakistan when authorised.
US officials hope this incident is more easily resolved than the 2011 case of a CIA contractor who was arrested and charged with killing two men. Raymond Davis said that he believed they were trying to rob him.
The case inflamed local anti-American sentiment and soured relations until the United States agreed to compensate the families of the two men. Davis was then freed.
