Court grants 6-day remand of American

LAHORE: US Consulate employee was produced in court Friday on double murder charges, Geo News reported, a day after he shot dead two men on a motorcycle in what he said was self-defence.

The US citizen was appeared before the Senior Judge Zafar Iqbal who handed over the accused to the police on six-day remand.

The man, Raymond Davis was described by the State Department in Washington as an American civilian working for the US Consulate in Lahore.

A third Pakistani was crushed to death by a consulate car that went to the scene to aid the man following the shooting in a busy street in the eastern city.

Provincial law minister Rana Sanaullah said officials had asked the US Consulate to release the second vehicle and its driver to police.

The US embassy in Islamabad has confirmed the man involved was a consular worker but said it was still trying to work out with the police what had happened.

Punjab minister Sanaullah said no American pressure would be allowed to influence the criminal case.