A Pakistani court ordered police to file charges against the FBI agent who was arrested for carrying ammunition while boarding a flight to Islamabad.
Federal agent Joel Cox was arrested for carrying 15 bullets of 9 mm calibre and a pistol clip in the luggage at the Karachi airport in Pakistan, Monday. He was released on bail thereafter on asurety bond of $9,800, officials said, Thursday.
During his hearing in a Karachi court, investigators requested for more time to complete their probe. The court accepted the appeal and told the police to submit the investigation details of the case by May 19. Cox will have to appear for the next hearing, the judge ordered.
The police requested the judge, Mohammed Ali Memon, to give them more time to file formal charges, according to Khalid Mahmood, Cox's lawyer, reports the Associated Press.
According to the report, Cox told the court that the ammunition found in his bag was not his own. He argued that he was being implicated in the case. The U.S. law enforcement officials said that the agent was working in Pakistan as part of an anti-corruption task force.
Karachi police authorities said they found no proof that Cox was in Pakistan for training. Foreign ministry spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said that Cox was not a diplomat and thus would not get diplomatic immunity.
The detention of the federal agent marks the latest incident between the two troubled partners. The U.S. depends on Pakistan in its fight against al-Qaeda and its attempts to bring peace in neighboring Afghanistan. But, U.S. drone strikes, which have led to civilian casualties, have upset the Pakistanis, Sky News reports.
