Bail granted to American arrested in Karachi

A US Consulate spokesman said Cox was not associated with any spy or intelligence agency.

KARACHI: A local court in Karachi has granted bail to an American national who was detained at Jinnah International Airport for trying to board an Islamabad bound flight with ammunition and knives in his luggage.

According to the prosecution, Joel Cox was attempting to board a domestic flight from Karachi on Monday evening when personnel of the Airport Security Force (ASF) discovered 15 bullets of 9mm calibre and a pistol clip in his baggage.

During Thursday’s court proceedings, District and Sessions Judge Malir, Muhammad Yamin, approved Cox’s bail application and ordered payment of a surety bond worth Rs1,000,000 ($10,000).

Following the bail, police officials were directed to release Cox forthwith as he was not required in any other case. However, the judge ordered police officials to direct the suspect to appear before trial court as and when a Challan is submitted.

“The court has approved his bail application and ordered that the American national be released after depositing surety bond of one million rupees,” senior police officer Rao Anwar confirmed.

Despite media reports suggesting that Cox was associated with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), a US federal agency that serves as both a criminal investigative body and an intelligence agency, the US Consulate in Karachi has denied any link.

Dismissing the reports, Andrew Armstrong, a spokesman for the US Consulate in Karachi said outright, “No he (Cox) was not associated with any spy or intelligence agency.”

Armstrong said that the consulate was aware about the visit, however, details such as when he arrived in Pakistan and for what purpose were confidential and could not be disclosed.

“All I can say is that he was not an employee of the embassy or the consulate but was temporarily in Pakistan,” he added.

The spokesperson further said, “We are happy that he has received bail from the court and we are still coordinating with Pakistani authorities to resolve the matter.”

Earlier this week, Cox had appeared in court on charges of carrying unauthorised ammunition on a civilian flight and was remanded in custody. His equipment, including his laptop, has been sent to a forensic laboratory for testing.

Hidden hands

In an unusual twist, sources familiar with the matter revealed that Cox’s release came through after strong pressure from various quarters, including Prime Minister House and the interior ministry, who tasked chief secretary Sindh to ensure his release at any cost.

Another source added that the court was coerced by the government and US embassy into granting bail. Sources further revealed that US government has put immense pressure on PML-N led federal government to release the US national.

Chief Secretary Sajjad Saleem Hotiana, according to sources, personally monitored all activities related to the case and directly influenced the police to ensure that the US national was released.


Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2014.