Karachi: The White House has condemned as an outrageous act of barbarism the incident wherein unidentified gunmen killed four American auditors and their Pakistani driver  in Karachi on November 12, two days after Pakistani national Mir Aimal Kansi, 33, was convicted for the murder of two agents of America`s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) killed on 25 January 1993. An all-white jury found Kansi guilty on one count of capital murder and one count of first degree murder and issued a life imprisonment sentence plus 78 years in jail with a 400,000 dollar fine.

The car in which the Americans were travelling in Karachi, Pakistan`s second largest city and a place beleaguered by violence, was riddled with bullets from AK-47 assault rifles, and is viewed as an act of retaliation for the Kansi conviction. Karachi police have launched a massive manhunt for the killers and the city`s police deputy inspector general, Malik Iqbal, admits that the killings may be a retaliation the Kansi conviction.

Police in the violence-wracked southern port said a red car carrying two men came up behind the vehicle in which the Americans were riding, fired on them, then forced the car off the road. The assailants then sprayed the vehicle at close range with about a dozen bullets, Karachi Police Chief Malik Iqbal said. "Everyone in the car died on the spot," Iqbal said. The incident occurred at about 8:15 am.

White House spokesman Curry said in Washington Thursday that though the US government had no direct evidence linking the Karachi slaughter with the conviction of Kansi in an American court, US officials were working closely with Pakistani police to capture the assailants and to determine whether the conviction and the slaying were linked. The spokesman also said that the slaying would not affect the 1998 visit to Pakistan by US President Bill Clinton.

Ever since the Fairfax court found Kansi guilty, the US State Department had issued a general warning to Americans travelling abroad about just such a possibility of retaliation. But the Department`s statement said that it had received no specific information about the same.

The Victims

In the Karachi attack, all four Americans were employees of Union Texas Petroleum, a US company which has been operating in Pakistan for 20 years. Union Texas is evacuating all its 30 personnel from Pakistan following the gun attack. Company sources said the Americans, in town briefly to audit the firm`s local books, were en route to their office in the Beharia complex about a half-mile from a downtown hotel where they were staying when the gunmen fired on them.

The slain Americans, all auditors, were identified by Texas Petroleum as: Ephraim Egbu, senior auditor; Joel Enlow, manager of audit projects; Larry Jennings, audit manager; and Tracy Ritchie, senior audit supervisor. The bodies of the men, all in their 40s, were to be flown home to Houston on Thursday.

Ephraim Egbu	Joel Enlow
Larry Jennings	Tracy Ritchie

Union Texas is the biggest international oil company operating in Pakistan, where it has been working for more than 10 years. Company officials, who didn`t want to be identified, said Union Texas puts out roughly half of all oil production in Pakistan. The company operates almost exclusively in Pakistan`s southern Sindh province, of which Karachi is the capital.

The Killers

The Karachi police claim they have vital clues on who might have killed the four Americans and their Pakistani diver. The car in which the gunmen were riding was later found abandoned in a congested downtown district of Karachi not far from the central Post Office on Saddar Avenue. A guard at the post office told police that two men parked the car and disappeared, said Iqbal. Police were putting together a description of the men and had launched a manhunt.

Motives

While most observers feel that the Karachi killings was in retaliation to Kansi`s conviction, there could be other factors involved. On 8 October 1997, the US Department of State outlawed a Pakistan based terrorist organisation called the Harkat ul Ansar, which operates in Kashmir, Bosnia, Afghanistan and other parts of the world. A faction of this organisation had abducted 5 foreign tourists, including two Americans in Kashmir, in 1995. The tourists are still missing, believed killed. The State Department`s move has angered the Harkat ul Ansar and its powerful controllers. They too might have had a reason to target US civilians and chose the time to confuse the killings with the Kansi episode.

Pakistan`s powerful drug mafia too is under attack from the United States. The US government has succeeded in securing the extradition of several powerful drug lords from Pakistan. Most of them have been tried and sentenced in the United States. A few months ago, a Pakistani Air Force officer was arrested for drug smuggling in the US. The Pakistani military retaliated by sentencing a Pakistani co-operating with the DEA to several years of hard labour in prison. This drug mafia too hates the guts of the United States government and could be involved in the slayings.

Kansi Sentenced to 78 Years Imprisonment Two Days Before the Karachi Killings

However, the November 12 killings of the four Americans comes as no surprise to observers of the Kansi trial. The 33-year-old Pakistani is believed to have been on a revenge spree, and prosecutors at his trial claimed that he was out to avenge the bombing of Iraq and what he perceived as `US meddling` in Muslim nations.

Kansi stood expressionless in front of the jury in the Fairfax courtroom when the court announced the jury verdict -- guilty on all nine counts of murder and assault -- reached after a quick four-hour sitting which included a one hour lunch break.

The life term plus 78 years in jail was given for murder of one CIA employee and injuries to three others. The verdict on the 10th count, a capital murder of another CIA employee, would come on Wednesday after the jury hears the defence evidence that Kansi had a damaged brain and should not be sentenced to death.

The jury is now hearing testimony on whether he should get the death penalty. This was to be decided on Wednesday, the very day the four Americans were shot in Karachi.

The jury verdict came four hours after the state-appointed defence lawyers decided not to mount a defence or present witnesses on Monday morning but considered it good strategy to fight for the life of the convicted man by presenting a "damaged brain theory" to the jury.

The defence decision not to contest the case was based on a recognition that overwhelming evidence of Kansi`s guilt had been presented by the prosecution, including his confession to the FBI, his fingerprints on the murder weapon, the recovery of the weapon from his apartment, and the fact that he purchased the weapon just three days before the crime.

Kansi had gunned down the two CIA agents, Frank Darling, 28, and Lansing Bennett, 66, outside the agency`s Washington headquarters on 25 January 1993. Three others were wounded when the AK-47 wielding Kansi riddled their car with bullets.

Meanwhile, jurors in the Kansi case have expressed concern about their personal safety. Fairfax County spent $1.5 million before the trial to improve security at the courthouse and adjoining police complex. Barricades were erected on streets and massive concrete planters were placed across the lawn to block truck bombers. Additional metal detectors were placed at doorways, and SWAT teams have been positioned on the roofs since the trial began. Some cars entering the complex are searched and a bomb-sniffing dog makes regular passes around the buildings. Jurors already had recommended the judge give Kansi maximum sentences on all counts other than capital murder, which applies to Darling`s death and requires a separate sentencing hearing. Prosecutors said they brought the more serious charge because Kansi shot Darling in the back, then returned to his car and shot the helpless man in the head.

Murders a Blow for Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif

Although Pakistan President Farooq Leghari has expressed his shock over the Karachi killings to US President Bill Clinton calling the incident a "terrorist attack", the murders are a major embarrassment for Pakistan especially as it comes just days before the scheduled Sunday visit of US Secretary of State Madeline Albright to Pakistan.

The Karachi murders will be a big blow for Prime Minister Sharif who is trying his best to crack down on terrorism and to prove that he can control his unruly country. Sharif wants tougher laws to deal with terrorists and has been fighting with his back to the wall against several extremist Islamist organisations known to be behind terrorist outfits operating in Pakistan. His opponents are trying their best to prove that he is incompetent. The Pakistani Army too is believed to be unhappy with Sharif and would like to replace him as soon as possible. The Karachi murders could just prove to be the beginning of Sharif`s new troubles.