US officials declined public comment on accounts that Raymond Davis worked for the Central Intelligence Agency and insisted he enjoyed diplomatic immunity because Pakistan had accepted his status when he entered.
"We remain concerned about him and our message to Pakistan remains he should be released as soon as possible," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters on a conference call.
Crowley said Pakistan has told the United States that Davis is staying "in the safest possible location in Lahore".
"Clearly, we hold the government of Pakistan fully responsible for his safety," Crowley said.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, last week referred to the arrested gunman as an "agent."
The New York Times on Monday reported that Davis was part of a CIA operation tracking extremists in eastern Pakistan such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the virulently anti-Indian group involved in the bloody 2008 siege of Mumbai.
The New York Times said it withheld the information after President Barack Obama's administration said it would endanger Davis' safety, but decided to release the details after other media reported the CIA link.
The killing has put intense pressure on Pakistan's civilian government, which has partnered with the United States in the campaign against Islamic extremism despite widespread anti-American sentiment at home.
But a senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said of the case: "This is about as clear as it gets under international law."
The official said that the US embassy in Islamabad informed Pakistan on January 20, 2010, that Davis was working for its "administrative and technical staff."
As Pakistan did not reject the designation, Davis therefore enjoyed diplomatic immunity from that point on, the official said.
"Any other form of action, including a judicial proceeding or any other action, is inconsistent with his status as a member of a diplomatic mission. It would only compound the violations of international law," the official said.
"When someone enters our country, if that person is notified as a member of the administrative and technical staff of a diplomatic mission, that's the end of the story," he said.
Pakistan keeping Davis safe
Earlier, Pakistani officials said they were taking steps to keep the American safe from harm.
Surveillance cameras monitor the area where Davis, who Washington insists is shielded by diplomatic immunity and must be released immediately, has been locked in a cell isolated from other prisoners, prison sources said.
A team of 36 unarmed guards, who Pakistani officials say have been specially screened, are standing watch in shifts of eight.
Outside the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore, where protesters have demanded Davis be publicly hanged, some 75 police officers, a team of provincial rangers and vehicles packed with elite forces are standing watch.
"We have taken maximum security measures to ensure his protection," said Rana Sanaullah, law minister for Punjab province, where Lahore is located.
The heightened security underscores the charged nature of the Davis case, which has inflamed already strained ties between two nations who are supposed to be working together to stamp out militants attacking US soldiers in Afghanistan.
Last week the Lahore High Court delayed a hearing on whether Davis had immunity until March 14, prolonging the diplomatic standoff between the two countries and stoking concerns for his safety.
There is good reason for worry in turbulent Pakistan, where rogue members of security forces have at times turned their weapons against government officials.
Last month, Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer was gunned down by one of his own police guards. His killer has become a hero for Islamist groups who opposed the governor's moderate political views.
Some analysts believe that elements of Pakistan's security establishment remain linked to militants in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan, the very groups the United States is seeking to defeat across the Khyber Pass.
"Davis' safety is a concern," a US official said on condition of anonymity.
While some Pakistani officials have signalled they would like to back Davis' immunity, the government has so far said local courts must decide.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani told parliament today that Pakistan would respect international law but said there was some ambiguity about the case.
"My government will not compromise on dignity and sovereignty of the country," he said.
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