Early reports from police officials and local media said Warren Weinstein, 70, the country director for J.E. Austin Associates Inc., an Arlington, Virginia.-based consulting firm, had been rescued in Khushab in Punjab province.
"He has not been recovered yet," a senior intelligence official in Punjab told Reuters.
He criticised the Lahore police chief, Ahmed Raza Tahir, for telling the media yesterday that Weinstein would be recovered "soon" and jeopardising an intelligence operation to rescue him.
"There was an operation in the Khushab area this morning, but it was unsuccessful, as the captors moved away," the intelligence official said.
Earlier, a police official told Reuters that Weinstein had been rescued. Local television channels also reported the release. Two hours after the initial reports, the U.S. embassy said it could not confirm Weinstein's rescue. A spokeswoman for the embassy said it was in contact with police officials, and none of them could confirm it either.
Weinstein had been working on a development project in Pakistan's northwestern tribal areas where Pakistani troops have been battling Islamist insurgents for years.
Up to eight assailants kidnapped Weinstein in a pre-dawn raid on his house in Lahore on August 13.
Via http://news.google.com.pk/news/url?sa=t&ct2=en_pk%2F0_0_s_0_0_t&ct3=MAA4AEgAUABgAWoFZW5fcGs&usg=AFQjCNEnYEQ0AFoxQcClHDbUpqvFap3kNg&did=eb090486f914465&cid=8797742827202&ei=yC5WTsCUDo2nrAfp8uztAw&rt=MORE_COVERAGE&vm=STANDARD&url=http%3A%2F%2Faf.reuters.com%2Farticle%2FworldNews%2FidAFTRE77O20T20110825
