Lahore:
An American official appeared in court here on Friday on murder charges in the shooting deaths of two Pakistanis during an apparent roadside robbery attempt here.
The incident on Thursday in midafternoon traffic could inflame strong anti-American sentiment in Pakistan, a possibility that the Pakistani government acknowledged while saying it would apply the rule of law.
The provincial law minister in Punjab, Rana Sanaullah, told a news conference that any favoritism toward the official, Raymond A. Davis, 36, would be regarded with suspicion by the Pakistani public.
"Raymond Davis has been charged of murder in the shooting of two motorcyclists while on his way at a congested square of the city," Mr. Sanaullah said.
Mr. Davis told the magistrates court that he acted in self-defense when the two men tried to rob him.
The trial will be conducted in Pakistan, Mr. Sanaullah said, and the defense will have the right to argue that Mr. Davis acted in self-defense or to claim immunity from Pakistani law.
Mr. Davis will remain in custody for six days so police officials could continue questioning, said Zulfikar Hameed, a senior superintendent of police for investigations.
Mr. Davis, who was attached to the American Consulate in Lahore, was shown on Pakistani television, dressed in a checkered shirt and jeans, being escorted by a phalanx of officers to a court in central Lahore. Mr. Sanaullah said that Mr. Davis spoke Urdu, the dominant language in Pakistan, which relatively few American officials speak.
Mr. Davis was driving a white rental car on the congested Jail Road in Lahore on Thursday afternoon when two men on a motorcycle tried to rob him, according to Pakistani police accounts. Mr. Davis shot the two men, police officials said. Police accounts initially differed on whether the two assailants were armed, but according to the official police report released Friday, the police found weapons on the dead men. Mr. Davis did not have a license to carry a weapon, the law minister said.
Mr. Davis called the consulate for help during the episode, and a four-wheel-drive vehicle that tried to come to his rescue hit and killed a third man, said a senior police official, Faisal Rana, on Thursday.
The American Embassy in Islamabad acknowledged in a statement that Mr. Davis was employed by the consulate but did not describe his position. Pakistani police officials described him in various statements as a "security official" or a "technical adviser."
The police said one of the men died instantly after being shot by Mr. Davis. The second man died at the hospital, they said, as did the man who was hit by the vehicle.
Lahore residents said roadside robberies by armed men on motorcycles seeking mobile phones and other valuables from drivers, particularly those alone, are relatively common. In most cases, they said, the drivers are not armed and hand over whatever the assailants demand.
The deaths of three Pakistanis in a case involving an armed American official at midday in a busy metropolitan area could heighten anti-American sentiment, which already runs high in Pakistan. Many here distrust and disapprove of the United States' support of the fight against Taliban militants in the country.
Whether American employees at the three United States consular offices in Pakistan, as well as at the embassy in Islamabad, should be allowed to carry weapons erupted as an issue in the Pakistani press more than a year ago. The question of why Mr. Davis was armed is likely to be raised by Pakistani officials, and by the press.
A brother of one of the dead Pakistanis said in a brief television interview that his family would demand that Davis be "hanged."