US Embassy security officer arrested

Police say Taimur Iqbal had brought three armed guards who resisted officers at the scene

ISLAMABAD: Police on Tuesday arrested a security official of the US Embassy in connection with a road accident between an American diplomat and a local motorbike rider which left the latter dead.

US Defence and Air Attaché Col Joseph Emanuel Hall had run a red traffic light at the Daman-e-Koh intersection on April 7 and, as a result, rammed into the motorbike driven by 22-year-old Ateeq Baig.

The impact sent Baig and his pillion rider flying through the air, killing Baig on impact.

Soon after the accident, police claim, US Embassy security officer Syed Taimur Iqbal arrived at the scene with three armed guards and allegedly resisted the police.

On Tuesday, while conducting an inquiry into the case, the police asked Iqbal to reveal the identities of the three gunmen who had accompanied him that day.

Iqbal, though, refused to do so.

He was consequently arrested and shifted to the Kohsar Police Station.

“Video footage showed there were three gunmen with [Iqbal] at the crime scene.

He has been arrested in order to record his statement under Section 161 CrPC,” explained AIG-Operations Asmatullah Junejo, who is conducting an inquiry into the case.

The officer said that the family of the victim had lodged a complaint against officials of the US Embassy for obstruction of justice.

Iqbal has already been booked by the police for obstructing officers in another traffic accident involving a US diplomat.

US Embassy’s Second Secretary Chad Rex Ausburn’s car was involved in an accident with a motorbike on Constitution Avenue on April 29.

However, the traffic police had declared that that accident was the fault of the motorcyclist.

Police said Taimur had been booked by the Secretariat police for obstruction. However, he had obtained pre-arrest bail in that case.

The inquiry into the motorcyclist’s death was earlier being conducted at the Kohsar police station but was shifted to SSP Junejo after the victim’s family expressed dissatisfaction with local police’s work.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2018.