Raymond Davis Case: American Government officials confirm CIA status - New York Times

[Majnun]

Balancing parking tickets against murders | World | DAWN.COM

For the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, a parking ticket violation is more atrocious than a murder. As a junior senator from New York, Mrs. Clinton wanted to revoke the diplomatic immunity for scofflaw diplomats who were stationed at the United Nations in New York and had racked up $21.3 million in parking violations. As the Secretary of State, however, she is invoking diplomatic immunity for Mr. Raymond Davis, who is accused of murdering two young men in Lahore.

It is hard to understand Mrs. Clinton’s logic who on one hand was not willing to excuse foreign diplomats accused of parking violations in New York. “The flagrant disregard for parking regulations has had serious ramification for the safety and quality of life for New Yorkers,” she argued in a letter in 2002. On the other hand, she would like an American contract worker, who claims to be a diplomat, to be granted immunity from prosecution for murdering two youths.

In 2004, Mrs. Clinton and the senior senator from New York, Charles Schumer, presented a Bill that advocated cutting foreign aid to countries who owed unpaid parking fines to the City of New York. Senator Clinton was obviously incensed by the fact that diplomats were abusing their privilege. Diplomatic immunity was never intended to allow diplomats to violate traffic laws of the host country, or for that matter, commit murders.

She registered her discontent with diplomatic immunity and argued that it was not “acceptable for foreign diplomats and consular officials to hide behind diplomatic and consular immunity to park in illegal spaces in New York City and avoid paying parking tickets. It is my hope that this legislation will ensure that the City gets the money that it is owed.” Senators Clinton and Schumer were successful in amending the 2005 congressional Foreign Operations Bill in the Senate that froze foreign aid to countries by amounts they owed New York City in parking ticket violations and unpaid property taxes.

I am not suggesting that parking violations could or should be ignored. As a professor of transport management, I understand how illegally parked vehicles impede traffic, cause congestion, and cost billions in lost productivity. In fact, in 2006 when the US Embassy in London racked up over £1 million in unpaid congestion charges, the peeved Mayor of London, Ken Livingston, called the American ambassador Robert Tuttle, who owned a car dealership and raised $200,000 for President George W. Bush’s election campaign, a ‘chiselling little crook’.

What I do not understand is how can one justify waiving diplomatic immunity for a misdemeanour, i.e., a parking violation, and insist on invoking it for violating the sixth commandment, thou shalt not kill, for a person whose diplomatic credentials are dubious at best, and whose culpability is beyond doubt.

Granting Mr. Davis diplomatic immunity will deny the judicial system in Pakistan the opportunity to determine the circumstances that lead to the two murders. The courts need to establish if Mr. Davis is indeed a diplomat, and not a contract worker or a mercenary employed by the US consulate in Lahore. The courts need to determine that if Mr. Davis were a diplomat, where was he stationed in the past or what school he attended to prepare for a career in foreign diplomacy. The courts need to ascertain if he indeed was acting in self-defence when he shot the two men riding away on a motorbike through the windshield of his car. The courts need to determine if he indeed was on diplomatic business at the time he shot the two men.

I have spoken with senior Pakistani diplomats in North America who have confirmed that Mr. Davis was issued an official business visa, which is reserved for contractors and lower-level staff serving in foreign missions in Pakistan. This does not make Mr. Davis eligible for diplomatic immunity in the first place. I contacted Ambassador Hussain Haqqani in Washington, DC, to determine the status of Mr. Davis’ now controversial visa. Mr. Haqqani has chosen not to respond. I have, however, enjoyed better correspondence with Ambassador Haqqani when he was a fellow academic.

While the US has always by default demanded immunity from prosecution for its diplomats serving in foreign countries, she has been stingy in reciprocating the favour. When the shoe is on the other foot, the US administration reacts completely in the opposite. Instead of honouring diplomatic immunity, it pressures countries to waive diplomatic immunity for the diplomats accused of wrongdoings in the United States.

In 1987, a car driven by the ambassador of Papua New Guinea, Kiatro Abisinito, hit four other cars in Washington, DC. The ambassador invoked diplomatic immunity. However, the US Attorneys prepared a criminal case against the ambassador for operating a vehicle while being intoxicated.

Consider the case of Georgian diplomat, Gueorgui Makharadze, who in 1997 killed a 16-year old girl in a fatal traffic accident in the US. The diplomat invoked diplomatic immunity and was ready to leave when the Georgian President, Eduard Shevardnadze, ordered the diplomat to stay in the United States and face criminal charges. Mr. Makharadze was convicted by a court and served time in an American prison.

Pakistan will not be the first country to question the doctrines of diplomatic immunity in cases where diplomats have been accused of not just misdemeanours, such as parking violations, but are accused of heinous crimes, such as murder. Former US Secretary of Defense, Caspar Weinberger, pointed out circumstances that warranted “limits to the doctrines of diplomatic immunity.” While addressing a conference organized by the American Bar Association in June 1986, Mr Weinberger unequivocally declared that a “diplomatic title must not confer a license to murder.”

Several American legislators have tried to restrict diplomatic immunity in cases where diplomats were accused of serious crimes, such as murder and rape. In 1984, Senator Arlen Specter presented a Bill to renegotiate the Vienna Convention to eliminate diplomatic immunity for diplomats accused of murder. Later in 1987, US Congressman Stephen J. Solarz introduced a Bill to limit the diplomatic immunity, which he termed untenable and unacceptable to grant to those accused of murder.

While the American public representatives have tried to restrict diplomatic immunity for others, they have fought tooth and nail to seek immunity for their own diplomats when they stood accused of committing serious crimes. There are several examples of American diplomats leaving without trial even after being accused of committing murders. According to New York Times’ archives, a US Embassy employee, Martha D. Patterson, was accused of complicity in poisoning to death a USSR citizen in July 1977. Ms. Peterson was freed however after she invoked diplomatic immunity. Later in 2002, Samuel Karmilowicz, an employee with the US Embassy in Quito, Ecuador, shot and killed an Ecuadorian national Pablo Jaramillo after crashing his car into the taxi carrying Mr. Jaramillo. The American diplomat left Ecuador soon afterwards invoking diplomatic immunity.

It is however, not without precedent that a country revoked diplomatic immunity for diplomats of other countries. In 1944, England cancelled diplomatic immunity for foreign diplomats and their staff. Only diplomats from the Commonwealth countries, the Soviet Union and the United States were permitted to retain diplomatic immunity.

In 2002 in England, the Colombian Embassy waived diplomatic immunity for a sergeant-major and his son who were caught on CCTV stabbing to death a 23 year old man outside a supermarket in West London. Initially, the Colombian diplomat, who was an assistant to the Colombian military attaché, and his son were granted immunity from prosecution. The Colombians claimed that they acted in self-defence after being mugged by the deceased. The Colombians were however acquitted of murder by a British court after it was established that they indeed acted in self-defence.

It is also not without precedent that the US government has waived immunity for its diplomats or contractors employed by the US foreign missions. In 1995, the US government waived diplomatic immunity for David Duchow, a contract employee with the US embassy in Bolivia, who was accused of stealing a truck-load of fuel. Mr. Duchow in retaliation sued the US government for waiving his diplomatic immunity.

Indulge me for a second and imagine if the situation was reversed and a Pakistani diplomat stood accused of shooting to death two young men in SoHo, New York. Given that Mrs. Clinton was unwilling to pardon diplomats accused of parking violations, it is highly likely that she would have opposed granting immunity to a Pakistani diplomat accused of committing multiple murders in broad daylight and in the presence of dozens of eye witnesses. She would have insisted that the true identity and the status of the accused be first determined. She would have wanted the US courts to determine if the Pakistani diplomat acted in self-defence or was he a trigger-happy fellow who got spooked and started shooting. She would not have allowed the Pakistani diplomat to touch the tarmac at the JFK Airport.

I also wonder how President Obama would react in this situation. Would he be as statesmanlike as the former Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze and instruct Mr. Raymond Davis to stay in Pakistan and plead his case in a court of law. Or would Mr. Obama choose to be more like the Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, who refused to waive diplomatic immunity for a Russian diplomat stationed in Canada who in 2001 killed one woman and injured another while driving a car while being intoxicated?

Given Mr. Obama’s recent foreign policy choices, I see more of Putin in him than a statesman.

 

[Areesh]

‘CIA agent Davis had ties with local militants’

ISLAMABAD: As American newspapers lifted a self-imposed gag on the CIA links of Raymond Davis, in place on the request of the US administration, The Express Tribune has now learnt that the alleged killer of two Pakistanis had close links with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The New York Times reported on Monday that Davis “was part of a covert, CIA-led team of operatives conducting surveillance on militant groups deep inside the country, according to American government officials.”

This contradicts the US claim that Davis was a member of the ‘technical and administrative staff’ of its diplomatic mission in Pakistan.

Davis was arrested on January 27 after allegedly shooting dead two young motorcyclists at a crowded bus stop in Lahore. American officials say that the arrest came after a ‘botched robbery attempt’.

“The Lahore killings were a blessing in disguise for our security agencies who suspected that Davis was masterminding terrorist activities in Lahore and other parts of Punjab,” a senior official in the Punjab police claimed.

“His close ties with the TTP were revealed during the investigations,” he added. “Davis was instrumental in recruiting young people from Punjab for the Taliban to fuel the bloody insurgency.” Call records of the cellphones recovered from Davis have established his links with 33 Pakistanis, including 27 militants from the TTP and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi sectarian outfit, sources said.

Davis was also said to be working on a plan to give credence to the American notion that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are not safe. For this purpose, he was setting up a group of the Taliban which would do his bidding.

The larger picture

Davis’s arrest and detention has pulled back the curtain on a web of covert American operations inside Pakistan.

The former military ruler Pervez Musharraf had cut a secret deal with the US in 2006, allowing clandestine CIA operations in his country. This was done to make the Americans believe that Islamabad was not secretly helping the Taliban insurgents.

Under the agreement, the CIA was allowed to acquire the services of private security firms, including Blackwater (Xe Worldwide) and DynCorp to conduct surveillance on the Taliban and al Qaeda.

According to The New York Times, even before his arrest, Davis’s CIA affiliation was known to Pakistani authorities. It added that his visa, presented to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in late 2009, describes his job as a “regional affairs officer,” a common job description for officials working with the agency.

American officials said that with Pakistan’s government trying to clamp down on the increasing flow of CIA officers and contractors trying to gain entry to Pakistan, more of these operatives have been granted “cover” as embassy employees and given diplomatic passports.

However, “The government and security agencies were surprised to know that Davis and some of his colleagues were involved in activities that were not spelled out in the agreement,” a source told The Express Tribune.

“Davis’s job was to trail links of the Taliban and al Qaeda in different parts of Pakistan. But, instead, investigators found that he had developed close links with the TTP,” added the source.

Investigators had recovered 158 items from Davis, which include a 9mm Gloc Pistol, five 9mm magazines, 75 bullets, GPS device, an infrared torch, a wireless set, two mobile phones, a digital camera, a survival kit, five ATM cards, and Pakistani and US currency notes, sources said.

The camera had photographs of Pakistan’s defence installations.

Intelligence officials say that some of the items recovered from Davis are used by spies, not diplomats. This proves that he was involved in activities detrimental to Pakistan’s national interests.

The Punjab law minister has said that Davis could be tried for anti-state activities. “The spying gadgets and sophisticated weapons recovered are never used by diplomats,” Rana Sanaullah told The Express Tribune.

He said some of the items recovered from Davis have been sent for a detailed forensic analysis. “A fresh case might be registered against Davis under the [Official] Secrets Act once the forensics report was received,” he said.

Sanaullah said that Davis could also be tried under the Army Act. To substantiate his viewpoint, he said recently 11 persons who had gone missing from Rawalpindi’s Adiyala jail were booked under the Army Act.

However, a senior lawyer said that only the Army has the authority to register a case under the Army Act of 1952 against any person who is involved in activities detrimental to the army or its installations.

“Such an accused will also be tried by the military court,” Qazi Anwer, former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association said. He added that the civil authorities could register a case of espionage against any person.

But interestingly, despite all the evidence of Davis’s involvement in espionage, the federal government is unlikely to try him for spying.

“He will be prosecuted only on charges of killing of two men in Lahore,” highly-placed sources told The Express Tribune.

The Davis saga has strained relations between Pakistan and the United States, creating a dilemma for the PPP-led government.

More pressure

The pressure on the Pakistan government to release Davis has been steadily intensifying.

According to The New York Times, “there have been a flurry of private phone calls to Pakistan from Leon E Panetta, the CIA director, and Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, all intended to persuade the Pakistanis to release the secret operative.” WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY ASAD KHARAL IN LAHORE

CIA agent Davis had ties with local militants

 

[Awesome]

That is pure baloney. Allies are not enemies. Diplomatic Immunity check mates all these unsound theories some keep writing freehand here.

Diplomatic immunity doesn't negate guilt.

 

[Mujahid]

KARACHI: US national Raymond Davis was assigned to protect a CIA team tracking militants in Pakistan, British newspaper The Guardian said in its report.

On January 27, Davis was familiarising himself with a “sensitive area” of Lahore.

The report quoted US officials as confirming that CIA agent Raymond Davis had worked for the private security contractor Xe, formerly known as Blackwater. The officials also disclosed that Davis had been providing security for a CIA team tracking militants.

Davis was attached to the CIA’s Global Response Staff, whose duties include protecting case officers when they meet with sources, the report said. On the day he shot two Pakistanis in Lahore, he was familiarising himself with a “sensitive area” of the city.

Moreover, The New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press and other media outlets reported for the first time that Davis was a CIA employee, the report said.

The US media outlets said they had been aware of Davis’ status but kept it under wraps at the request of US government officials who said they feared for his safety if involvement with the CIA was to come out.

US officials further claimed that Davis was at risk in the Lahore prison.

http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/22/raymond-davis-was-assigned-to-protect-a-cia-team-report.html

 

[Ghareeb_Da_Baal]

KARACHI: US national Raymond Davis was assigned to protect a CIA team tracking militants in Pakistan, British newspaper The Guardian said in its report.

On January 27, Davis was familiarising himself with a “sensitive area” of Lahore.

Nirala sweets? Yar yeh cham cham cheez hi aisy hai!

 

[American Eagle]

Aresh and others here writing on the word guilt, with diplomatic immunity there is no issue of guilt, the two countries after the DI person is returned to the US settle all accounts of the alleged event to the extent humanly possible, but in no case does the DI individual face a court...that is what violates DI to begin with. Davis even being held is wrong in that he is the victum of an attempted armed robbery on his person.

Try to understand that Mr. Davis was not out looking for trouble, trouble came at him in the form of two armed robbers with a same day history of one successful robbery and a prior history of other robberies.

This has never been a court case.

What the Court, correctly so, did when the GOP threw the hot potatoe to the courts instead of honoring DI as is legally bound to do, is cause the Court to Order the GOP/FO to officially comment on their DI interpretation in light of the USA claim and fact under International Law of claimed 100% DI.

It is late and you can have a dialogue without me as it is well past midnight here.

 

[American Eagle]

No, that is a fabrication or fantasy you write about. Militants are the joint enemy of NATO (of which the US is a member) and Pakistan (which is an Affiliate of NATO, an economically advantageous status in and of itself for Pakistan).

 

[F86 Saber]

Sorry if a repost - but this is an interesting development for me.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/world/asia/22pakistan.html



If RD was indeed spying on LeT, then probably it explains Pakistan's anguish over it since probably this is the first time US was doing something directly in India's interest. The message to the US is pretty ample clear - " You dare not touch our assets that we use against India. We have already given up on our former friends that were trouble in Afghanistan, you do whatever to them, kill them with drones wherever you want. But LeT & other groups - no way - we have them reserved for India & our strategy of using these groups as a state policy will not be compromised. "

This is a new angle altogether & I really wonder how India factor chips in here. More to look forward to.

Another feeble attempt by our neighbors to prove themselves as victims of Pakistan in the eyes of USA. God you guys are getting desperate......

My replay remains that a failed stick up attempt by two known by history robbers resulted in their untimely deaths. Trying to build a spy novel around an plain second attempted but failed robbery same afternoon, same to robbers, just ain't true. Davis has DI and Pakistan is breaking International Law right now by detaining Mr. Davis, who if you haven't noticed, is pending the Court Order to the GOP/FO for their statement on his DI standing. That is the only legal action in play right now from the day of the robbery. And even that as handled by the police and GOP has been illegally handled. The day has yet to come to the free world that we blame victims of failed crime attempts. Original Post By American Eagle

Respected Mr. AE
On one hand you are denying that the report by the Pakistan (and international) media about Mr. Davis having anything to do with CIA, the drone strikes in Pakistan, the fact that he has been linked to TTP terrorists and held responsible for the bombings, and blaming it on bad journalism and the lack of credibility of our police and judiciary system. While on the other hand you are standing by your point that the deceased were robbers which is also reported by the same unreliable police and media? I'd like to have your take on it.

 

[Awesome]

No, that is a fabrication or fantasy you write about. Militants are the joint enemy of NATO (of which the US is a member) and Pakistan (which is an Affiliate of NATO, an economically advantageous status in and of itself for Pakistan).

Why are the Russians lying?

 

[Developereo]

The American authorities have been duplicitous throughout his whole ordeal. They have continually lied about his job title, description, embassy affiliation, past history, etc, etc.

If there's one thing we can be 100% sure, it's that whatever the US govt. is saying about Davis is a half-truth at best. Now that the CIA cat is out of the bag and his contact with militant groups cannot be denied, the official story is that he was 'monitoring' them. That is nonsense since, if that was his mission, there was no need to hide it from ISI.

I suspect he was actively collaborating with the terrorists to plan terror attacks, most likely within Pakistan. It is no secret that the US wants Pakistan army to 'do more' against the Taliban. What better way to force the army than to glavanize Pakistani public opinion by a fresh wave of terror attacks?

 

[Awesome]

Diplomatic immunity does not negate guilt and diplomatic immunity does not eliminate the CIA threat from Pakistan.

Think about it, if I know xyz wants to kill me, and I caught him trying to kill me, why would I ever leave him no matter what commandment is written in whatever bible that I should.

So everything else is irrelevant, if you say America is an ally, come clean if you had justifiable reasons for interacting with the Taliban let us know about it, make it public, as it MUST end anyway.

You want to save the US-Pak relations, you must make good with Pakistan.

 

[forcetrip]

Aresh and others here writing on the word guilt, with diplomatic immunity there is no issue of guilt, the two countries after the DI person is returned to the US settle all accounts of the alleged event to the extent humanly possible, but in no case does the DI individual face a court...that is what violates DI to begin with. Davis even being held is wrong in that he is the victum of an attempted armed robbery on his person.

Try to understand that Mr. Davis was not out looking for trouble, trouble came at him in the form of two armed robbers with a same day history of one successful robbery and a prior history of other robberies.

This has never been a court case.

What the Court, correctly so, did when the GOP threw the hot potatoe to the courts instead of honoring DI as is legally bound to do, is cause the Court to Order the GOP/FO to officially comment on their DI interpretation in light of the USA claim and fact under International Law of claimed 100% DI.

It is late and you can have a dialogue without me as it is well past midnight here.

I do not understand why you are not answering my question. Do spies have diplomatic immunity? How do you not consider an ex special forces guy who is working for Xe on behalf of the CIA not a spy? Hopefully you will see that the word "Diplomat" and "Tactical Recon" are absolutely two different things. I understand your previous posts about the CIA Handbook containing facts and numbers from Diplomats, but they do not go around armed on missions taking pictures of bunkers and other sensitive installations. Hopefully hear from you tomorrow.

 

[Hammy007]

i just cant believe that american eagle guy keeps repeating and repeating the same lines again and again much to our irritation and arrogance.. the guys were robbers and davis has immunity

 

[Hammy007]

The American authorities have been duplicitous throughout his whole ordeal. They have continually lied about his job title, description, embassy affiliation, past history, etc, etc.

If there's one thing we can be 100% sure, it's that whatever the US govt. is saying about Davis is a half-truth at best. Now that the CIA cat is out of the bag and his contact with militant groups cannot be denied, the official story is that he was 'monitoring' them. That is nonsense since, if that was his mission, there was no need to hide it from ISI.

I suspect he was actively collaborating with the terrorists to plan terror attacks, most likely within Pakistan. It is no secret that the US wants Pakistan army to 'do more' against the Taliban. What better way to force the army than to glavanize Pakistani public opinion by a fresh wave of terror attacks?

i remember the time when member BATMAN used to say the same thing, we the intelligent guys here used to laugh at him...

 

[Awesome]

9News confirms the story about the state department forced the media to hide facts about Raymond Davis:

Arrested Colo. man in Pakistan is actually CIA contractor | 9news.com

WASHINGTON - An American jailed in Pakistan for the fatal shooting of two armed men was secretly working for the CIA when he was arrested, a disclosure likely to further frustrate U.S. government efforts to free the man and strain relations between two countries partnered in a fragile alliance in the war on terror.

Raymond Allen Davis, 36, had been working as a CIA security contractor for the U.S. consulate in Lahore, according to former and current U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk publicly about the incident.

Davis is from Highlands Ranch.

Davis, a former Special Forces soldier who left the military in 2003, shot the men in what he described as an attempted armed robbery in the eastern city of Lahore as they approached him on a motorcycle. A third Pakistani, a bystander, died when a car rushing to help Davis struck him. Davis was reportedly carrying a Glock handgun, a pocket telescope and papers with different identifications.

The revelation that Davis was an employee of the CIA comes amid a tumultuous dispute over whether he is immune from criminal prosecution under international rules enacted to protect diplomats overseas. New protests in Pakistan erupted after The Guardian newspaper in London decided to publish details about Davis' relationship with the CIA.

The U.S. had repeatedly asserted that Davis had diplomatic immunity and should have been released immediately. The State Department had claimed Davis was "entitled to full criminal immunity in accordance with the Vienna Convention" and was a member of the "technical and administrative staff" at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad.

9Wants to Know learned of Davis' connection to the CIA on Feb. 2 when Davis' wife referred a reporter to the CIA for information on her husband's situation. The CIA did not respond to several requests for comment before a 9NEWS report that night mentioning the comment by Davis' wife.

The U.S. State Department and CIA contacted 9NEWS the next day and expressed concern that the information further endangered Davis' life.

9NEWS declined requests by the State Department and CIA to remove the story in its entirety from this website, but did, in light of the danger to Davis' life, remove the reference to the CIA and replaced it with a reference to the U.S. government, satisfying the concern of the government officials.

After The Guardian reported on Davis' CIA employment on Sunday, the State Department lifted its request of 9NEWS and several other media outlets including the AP not to report on Davis' CIA connection.

On Monday, State Department spokesman PJ Crowley told 9Wants to Know the government had hoped to secure Davis' release before now.

"Any revelations that have the potential to inflame public opinion in Pakistan are of concern to us. Some information has been in possession of various news organizations for a number of weeks, including yours, and we've been grateful that this information has been withheld for as long as possible," Crowley said.

"[The] new revelations do not change anything about [Davis'] status," Crowley said. "He is still entitled to come home and we continue to demand Pakistan release him."

"We declined to remove the story because it was important international news that tied back to Colorado," 9NEWS News Director Patti Dennis said in a statement. "However, after long meetings with our editorial team we decided we would amend our story for safety reasons. This decision was extremely difficult as we weighed the prospect of reporting that would put an American citizen's life in jeopardy against the transparency we adhere to in every single story we report."

Read Dennis' entire statement.

A U.S. official says Davis is being held at a jail on the outskirts of Lahore where there are serious doubts about whether the Pakistanis can truly protect him. The official says the Pakistanis have expressed similar concerns to the U.S.

The State Department said the Pakistani government was informed that Davis was a diplomat and entitled to immunity when he was assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad. "We notified the Pakistani government when he arrived in Islamabad," department spokesman P.J. Crowley said.

Davis identified himself as a diplomat to police when he was arrested and "has repeatedly requested immunity" to no avail, Crowley said. The U.S. Embassy said he has a diplomatic passport and a visa valid through June 2012. It also said in a recent statement the U.S. had notified the Pakistani government of Davis' assignment more than a year ago. However, a senior Pakistani intelligence official says that Davis' visa application contained bogus U.S. contact information.

Since Pakistani authorities took the ex-Special Forces soldier into custody Jan. 27, U.S. officials said, the situation has slowly escalated into a crisis, threatening the CIA's ability to wage a dangerous war against al-Qaida and militants. Some members of Congress have threatened to cut off the billions in funding to Pakistan if Davis isn't released.

Davis was attached to the CIA's Global Response Staff, which provides security overseas to agency bases and stations, former and current U.S. officials told the AP. In that role, he was assigned to protect CIA personnel. On the day he was captured, he was familiarizing himself with the area.

"Davis is a protective officer, someone who provides security to U.S. officials in Pakistan," the U.S official said. "Rumors to the contrary are simply wrong."

In a YouTube video of local police interrogating him, Davis says he's a consultant and he's with the "RAO," a reference to the American Regional Affairs Office. Davis also said at one point he was attached to the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad.

Working for the agency's GRS comes with risks -- sometimes fatal ones. The head of security at the CIA's base in Khost, Afghanistan, was killed with six others in December 2009 after a suicide bomber detonated a powerful explosive under his belt.

The CIA has a major presence in Pakistan, where it runs the drone program in Islamabad and offensive operations against militants, al-Qaida and Pakistan's spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence.

Former and current U.S. officials say the Pakistanis might have been stalling to release Davis so he could be extensively questioned, hoping he could provide more information about CIA activities in the troubled country or possibly even identify other agency officers.

The senior Pakistani intelligence official told the AP the two men in the response vehicle that went to aid Davis, killing the bystander, have left the country. The official said the Pakistani government's decision to let them leave was a concession to the U.S.

The U.S.-Pakistani partnership had begun to fray in recent months. In late 2010, a pair of civil lawsuits filed in the U.S. accused Pakistan's spy chief of nurturing terrorists involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Shortly after the lawsuits were filed, the name of the CIA's top spy in Pakistan was publicly disclosed and his life threatened. He was eventually pulled out of the country in December, a month before the scheduled end of his tour.

A former CIA officer said militants have also threatened the children of ISI officers. And the CIA in recent years has become increasingly concerned about the safety of its officers in outlying areas like Lahore and Peshawar, a former senior U.S. intelligence source said. But the danger was more pronounced in Lahore, where the CIA learned there might be government elements willing to harm agency officers.

Former CIA officials said the agency officers could have been killed in 2009 when terrorists attacked an ISI compound in Lahore. CIA officers regularly met their counterparts at the compound but didn't have a meeting scheduled the day of the attack.

Further inflaming tensions, the wife of one of the men Davis shot committed suicide. She had said she feared her husband's killer would be freed without trial.

Military records show Davis, a Virginia native, served a decade in the Army, including five years with the 3rd Special Forces Group in Fort Bragg, N.C., home to the Green Berets.

Davis also worked for Xe Services, the security contractor formerly known as Blackwater.

Davis and his wife run a Las Vegas-registered company called Hyperion Protective Services. The address for its headquarters is a mailbox at a UPS store in a strip mall.

The incident in Pakistan also raises serious questions about how an armed CIA employee could become involved in a fatal shooting with street bandits and allow himself to be captured. Former CIA officers say they were taught to make their way back to the safety of the embassy or consulate in potentially dangerous situations, but the circumstances could have made that impossible in Davis' case.

Former CIA officials say this is not the first time an agency employee was detained in a foreign country. In the 1980s, a CIA officer with diplomatic immunity was abducted in Ethiopia after he was suspected of spying. The case was quietly resolved and the officer was eventually released.