Investigators contradicts US diplomat on triple murder case

[News_Editor]

Investigators contradicts US diplomat on triple murder case

2011-02-05 05:15:49 GMT+7 (ICT)

LAHORE, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- An investigation team on charge of the Lahore triple murder on Friday said that the shooter, a U.S. citizen, did not fire in self-defense as he claimed.

According to Ary News television, the team was ordered to investigate the murder of three Pakistanis by Raymond Davis, an American national. On January 27, David, an alleged staff member of the U.S. Consulate, shot at two individuals riding on a motorcycle at Mazang Chowk, in Lahore.

The U.S. national then killed a third man as he attempted to flee the scene. The alleged diplomat ran over a motorcyclist and when local residents tried to detain him he pulled out a gun. David claimed the victims were attempting to rob him and acted in self-defense.

The probe determined otherwise and added that Davis is not a diplomat and neither the security agencies were aware about his visit to the Lahore area where the crimes took place.

On Thursday, relatives of the victims gathered close to the site of the shooting and demanded that terror charges are brought against the American citizen. Relatives claimed that the crime had some characteristics of a terror attack.

"The weapon was openly used in public, when people crushed under the vehicle and when people tried to stop the car, guns were aimed at them; all this falls into acts of terrorism," said the brother of one of the victims.

The United States have attempted to gain the release of the alleged diplomat. Two days after the incident, the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad demanded the immediate release of Davis and remarked that he has immunity under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Accoridng to the U.S. Embassy, David identified himself to police as a diplomat but police and senior authorities failed to verify his status with either the U.S. Consulate General in Lahore or the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad.

Despite the request, a Lahore court extended his physical remand for eight days on Thursday. Davis was ordered to return to court on February 11 in relation to the murder case.

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