A Pakistani police chief denied Thursday that a kidnapped
development expert had been safely recovered, only hours after saying
that officers had freed the American in an early morning operation.
The
U.S. also said it had no information indicating Warren Weinstein, 70,
had been freed. Weinstein was kidnapped almost two weeks ago from the
eastern city of Lahore.
Lahore police chief Malik Ahmed Raza
Tahir initially said police traced Weinstein to the city of Khushab,
125 miles (200 kilometers) northwest of Lahore, and freed him early
Thursday. Tahir backtracked several hours later and said in a statement
that Weinstein had not been recovered.
The U.S. Embassy in
Islamabad said on Twitter that "we have no information that would
confirm recovery of Warren Weinstein, but we are hoping for a positive
outcome."
Weinstein was abducted before dawn on August 13 after
gunmen tricked his guards and broke into his home. He is the country
director in Pakistan for J.E. Austin Associates, a U.S.-based firm that
advises a range of Pakistani business and government sectors.
Police
have arrested three people suspected of belonging to the gang that
kidnapped Weinstein, Tahir, the police chief, said Wednesday. Their
arrests were made after officers tracked cell phone numbers, he said.
Police
have also released a black-and-white sketch of a possible suspect in
the kidnapping. It's unclear if the young man is one of the three
people who have been arrested.
Kidnappings are common in
Pakistan, and foreigners are occasional targets. Criminal gangs are
suspected in most abductions, but militants are also believed to use
the tactic to raise money through ransoms.
Weinstein, who has a home in Rockville, Maryland, worked in Pakistan for several years and spoke Urdu.
J.E.
Austin Associates has stressed Weinstein's commitment to Pakistan's
economic development and said he worked with a wide range of Pakistani
government agencies, including the Pakistan Furniture Development
Company and the Pakistan Dairy Development Company.
The company
has also said Weinstein is in poor health and provided a detailed list
of medications, many of them for heart problems. It implored the
kidnappers to give their victim medicine. AP
