American Jew abducted in Pakistan

A Pakistani police officer stands guard at the house of kidnapped American development expert Warren Weinstein in Lahore, Pakistan, on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2011.  A senior police official says investigators still don't know who kidnapped Weinstein from his home on Saturday night, in eastern Pakistan at gunpoint.  Kidnappings for ransom are common in Pakistan, with foreigners being occasional targets.(AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

 An American citizen working on an aid development project was kidnapped from his home in Pakistan.

Warren Weinstein

Warren Weinstein, 70, who has been identified as Jewish, was snatched from his home in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore early Saturday, according to news service reports.  

Weinstein was working as the Pakistan country director for J.E. Austin Associates, a development contractor, on a project sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Shortly before his abduction, he had announced that he intended to return to the United States on Monday after successfully completing the project.

No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping nor asked for a ransom; kidnapping for ransom is common in Pakistan.

Lahore police told Reuters that they have detained several people for questioning, including the guards posted at the house, who allegedly were overpowered by the armed assailants.

The home of kidnapped American development expert Warren Weinstein is seen in Rockville, Md., Saturday, Aug. 13, 2011. Gunmen kidnapped Weinstein from his house in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday after tricking his guards and breaking into the house in a brazen raid that alarmed aid workers, diplomats and other foreigners, who already tread carefully in this country rife with Islamic militancy and anti-U.S. sentiment.  (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)