A Pakistani court has acquitted a US CIA contractor of two counts of murder at a hearing held at a prison in Lahore, a government official has said.
Raymond Davis, 36, was alleged to have shot dead two men in the eastern city of Lahore in January following what he said was an attempted armed robbery.
The acquittal came when relatives of the dead men pardoned him in court.
They confirmed to the judge overseeing the case that they had received compensation - known as "blood money".
Under Pakistani law, relatives of a murder victim can pardon the killer.
Reports say about 18 family members of the two dead men were in court on Wednesday and confirmed that they wanted Mr Davis to be freed and pardoned because they had received "blood money".
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Under Sharia law (and Pakistan law), Qisas can in some cases result in blood money being paid out to the family of victims. The amount varies from country to country and from case to case.
According to the Guardian UK...
Television stations reported that the American spy had left the jail with US consulate officials and was being flown on a special flight to London.
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