US Embassy Staffer Charged in Pakistan Killings

The American consulate worker who shot two Pakistani motorcyclists in the streets of Lahore yesterday was charged with murder today. The man, who has been identified as 36-year-old Raymond Davis, told the court he had acted in self-defense when the men tried to rob him. He will be kept in custody for six days while police investigate the crime, and then will go on trial, the New York Times reports.

The trail could inflame the already rampant anti-American sentiment in Pakistan. There have already been small protests around the country calling for the American’s head, the AP reports. One lawmaker even confronted the interior minister, asking if he intended to free the American. “I will never abet a criminal,” the minister replied. (More Pakistan stories.)