Authorities arrest blacklisted American in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD — Pakistani officials say a blacklisted American citizen has been arrested in the capital Islamabad. Interior Ministry spokesman Sarfaraz Hussain says Saturday that Federal Investigation Agency officials arrested Mathew Craig Barrett from an Islamabad guest house. Mathew Craig Barrett. Photo courtesy of tribune.com.pk He said Barrett was deported and blacklisted in 2011 after being found in the area of a sensitive installation. He did not elaborate. Hussain said Barrett obtained a visa from the Pakistani consulate in Houston and managed to clear the airport immigration counter. US embassy spokesman Christopher K Snipes said in a text message that the privacy act “prohibits us from releasing information about American citizens without their consent.” Hussain said the interior minister has ordered a thorough inquiry into how Barret managed to enter Pakistan again and suspended the airport immigration staff.