U.S. admits Pakistan holds CIA contractor

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- The American "diplomat" jailed in Pakistan for killing two men works for the CIA, U.S. officials confirmed Monday.

Raymond Davis, 36, has said he shot and killed the Pakistanis in self-defense Jan. 27 when they tried to rob him at a traffic light in Lahore.

President Barack Obama called him "our diplomat" last week and said he was covered by diplomatic immunity and should be freed immediately.

The Washington Post and The New York Times said they had learned Davis actually was a member of a CIA team operating out of a safe house in Lahore, but agreed not to publish the information. Officials confirmed the facts Monday when other media broke the story.

But officials told the Wall Street Journal Davis was a security contractor and not directly involved in spying, as the Pakistanis charge.

"Rumors to the contrary are simply wrong," one said.

The admission is likely to further inflame the case, already a flashpoint between the countries.

Officials repeated their fears for Davis' safety Monday, saying he has been moved to a section of the jail where the guards have been disarmed "for fear that one of them may kill him."

A former Green Beret, Davis was a contract employee of the CIA's Global Response Staff, which provides security for employees and facilities abroad.

Current and former U.S. officials say he had worked for the Blackwater security firm. A spokeswoman for the company, now called Xe Services, did not respond to a request for comment.

Several American and Pakistani officials told the Times the CIA team in Lahore is tracking Pakistani militant groups, including the violent Lashkar-e-Toiba, which Pakistan uses as a proxy against India but that the United States considers a threat to troops in Afghanistan. LET has longstanding ties to Pakistani intelligence.