ISLAMABAD, Jan 29: Mystery shrouds the death of a US diplomat in the capital after radiology tests showed that he might have been shot at from the back.

Sources told Dawn on Tuesday that the tests also showed the bullet was still lodged in the skull of the diplomat.

The sources said the body of US immigration and customs enforcement senior special agent Keith Ryan was shifted to the radiology department from the mortuary of Pims between 3:00pm and 3:30pm, where doctors conducted CT scans and X-rays on the body.

Later, the body was again shifted to the mortuary, where police officials were deployed.

The sources said this was not a suicide as Mr Ryan had only one wound to his body. Besides, no blood stains were found on his mouth.

According to doctors, it is impossible and against human nature to commit suicide by shooting himself at the back. Normally people commit suicide by shooting themselves on their temples if they use pistol.

If committed suicide by shooting themselves through the mouth, the bullet should have exited from the body, the doctors said, adding in these circumstances the direction of the bullet was towards the back of the head along with a wound on the throat with blood stains.

A senior police officer told Dawn that the body of the diplomat was handed over to US embassy, and it was likely to be flown to Germany on Wednesday morning.

He said the police only recorded the incident in their record but were not investigating and pursuing the case, as there was no complainant of the incident.

The US embassy has refused to conduct the investigation of the case and autopsy, he said, adding the police had instructions not to investigate the case as the deceased had diplomatic status. The police said it was not possible to declare whether it was suicide or homicide without conducting autopsy.

The mysterious death will only be solved after autopsy which is likely to be carried in Germany. The US embassy stopped the local authorities from conducting internal postmortem.