US official embraces bride, Islam and freedom

A Pakistani court has finally ordered the release of a suspected under-cover agent of the American CIA who was arrested last week from Peshawar. The US national had maintained that he did not need a Pakistani visa because he had married a Pakistani girl and embraced Islam.

While producing him before a local court in Peshawar on Monday, the Pakistani authorities maintained that the detained US national Aaron De Haven seemed to be an under-cover agent of the American CIA who was collecting intelligence information and conducting surveillance on the jihadi groups in Pakistan.

Aaron De Haven is from Virginia, US and has been associated with a private firm called Catalyst Services. His Pakistani visa had expired on October 22, 2010 but he was still living here without a valid visa. He also told the court that his Muslim name was Mohammad Haroon. The court subsequently bailed him out.