FBI Agent Arrested at Pakistan Airport

An FBI agent was arrested at an airport in Pakistan on Monday when he tried to carry bullets and knives onto a Karachi-to-Islamabad flight, Pakistani authorities revealed today. Joel Cox was on an official trip to Pakistan to provide training for local police, CNN reports. When police nabbed him he was carrying 15 9mm bullets, three small knives, and a wrench, which were seized along with his laptop and phone, police said. He's been booked on anti-terrorism charges.

The State Department confirmed that its diplomats in Pakistan are pushing for Cox's release. A police superintendent says the case has to go to trial, for the sake of "upholding Pakistan's dignity and honor. [Cox] acted illegally and his arrest is perfectly legal." The agent appeared in court yesterday, where a judge ruled that he be held until Saturday, the BBC reports. US agents are allowed to carry weapons in Pakistan when authorized; US officials said Cox packed the ammo in his luggage by mistake. (More Pakistan stories.)