Court delays ruling on gunman's 'immunity'

A COURT in Pakistan has ruled a US government employee arrested after shooting dead two men cannot be released despite Washington's demands he be granted diplomatic immunity.

The man, named locally as Raymond Davis, has been held since Thursday and claims he acted in self-defence

However, the case has provoked anger in Pakistan where Islamist leaders regularly accuse the government of being America's puppet,. The arrest and possible court case could also throw light on the murky world of security operations in Pakistan, something both countries would rather avoid.

Yesterday, a senior judge in Lahore ruled out a face-saving deal to allow Mr Davis to leave quickly. Ijaz Ahmed Chaudry, Lahore high court chief justice, placed Mr Davis on an exit control list and said there would be an investigation into whether he had diplomatic immunity.

"I am restraining him. Whether he has or does not have immunity will be decided by the court," he said.

Mr Davis has admitted shooting two men after they pulled alongside him on a motorbike. US officials said he saw they had a gun and he believed he was about to be robbed.

However a post-mortem examination reportedly found most of the men's wounds were to their backs.

A US embassy spokeswoman in Islamabad declined to confirm Mr Davis's job, but insisted he was a member of "technical and administrative staff covered by diplomatic immunity".