U.S. government officials say gunmen have kidnapped an American who works for a Virginia firm from his house in Pakistan.
The U.S. Embassy has identified the man as Warren Weinstein. He is the Pakistan country director for J.E. Austin Associates, a development contractor that's received millions of dollars from the aid arm of the U.S. government.
Weinstein was taken by a group of armed men that arrived at his house in Lahore early Saturday morning. Although the house was protected by security, the abductors were able to overpower Weinstein's guards.
The kidnapped American is reportedly a seasoned foreign-aid worker who was in Pakistan working on economic development. NBC News reported Weinstein was planning to leave the country this Monday.
So far, Pakistani police have yet to receive a claim of responsibility for the abduction or any other word on his condition.
Calls from the Associated Press to Weinstein's company headquarters in Virginia were not immediately answered, but its website describes Weinstein as a development expert with 25 years experience and a Ph.D. in international law and economics.
Police declined to speculate on the motive, and no group immediately claimed responsibility. But kidnappings for ransom are common in Pakistan, with foreigners being occasional targets.
