American FBI agent caught taking bullets onto plane in Pakistan

Crescent International

Rajab 08, 1435 2014-05-07

Daily News Analysis

by Crescent International

Caught red-handed: FBI agent Joel Cox Eugene, in blue striped shirt, being escorted by Pakistani security officials to court in Karachi on terrorism-related charges. He was caught with bullets and a loaded magazine before boarding an Islamabad bound flight from Karachi. What was an FBI agent doing in Pakistan and why was he carrying bullets and a loaded magazine with him?

Karachi, Crescent-online
Wednesday May 07, 2014, 08:47 DST

Pakistani Security officials at Jinnah International Airport arrested an American carrying bullets and a knife onto a flight from Karachi to Islamabad yesterday. He was held on anti-terrorism charges.

The man turned out to be an agent for the American domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

While the US embassy in Islamabad refused to divulge the name of the agent, US officials said he was in Pakistan to ‘help the government investigate corruption’.

The FBI agent, who was presented in court on Tuesday May 06 on charges involving violation of anti-terrorism laws, was identified as Joel Cox Eugene.

He was carrying 15 bullets of 9mm calibre along with a magazine when Airport Security Force officials checked him. He was about to board PIA flight PK 308 from Karachi to Islamabad.

At his court appearance, the judge ordered the suspect to remain in the custody of security officials until Saturday May 10 so the issue could be further investigated.

Spokeswoman for the US Embassy in Islamabad, Meghan Gregonis said that US officials were closely coordinating with the Pakistani authorities to solve the issue.

American officials claimed the agent had ‘forgotten’ a loaded gun magazine in his luggage and wasn’t ‘armed’, according to the Washington Post.

What are the chances of an American FBI agent being convicted in a Pakistani court? Most observers believe it is zero. Remember the American CIA agent/contractor Raymond Davis? He murdered two Pakistani citizens in broad daylight in Lahore in January 2011 but was let go in a few months.

Eugene is not accused of committing murder. He was carrying prohibited weapons and bullets onto a plane.

In the US, federal agents are not allowed to carry weapons onto planes. These have to be surrendered to security officials before boarding a flight and are returned to the agent when he lands at the final destination.

Even security agents for the US president are not allowed to carry such weapons on to planes. Why does an FBI agent think he can carry bullets and weapons on to flights in Pakistan?

Most Americans think the Pakistani government and officials can be pushed around. They are not far off the mark.

Unfortunately most Pakistani officials lack courage and moral integrity to stand up for principles or their own laws, hence frequent violation of these laws by Americans and others.

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