PESHAWAR: Police briefly detained an American, later identified as a US Embassy employee, after bullets were found in his luggage at an airport in the country's northwest on Tuesday.

The man was released after a couple of hours and handed over to American officials in Peshawar once his identity was clear, said police officer Dost Mohammad Khan.

Khan said 13 bullets were found in the man's luggage ahead of a flight to Islamabad. It was not clear why the bullets were there.

A US official said the man was an embassy employee and had diplomatic immunity.

He said the US Embassy was in contact with the Pakistani authorities ''about the details of the case.''

The US official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised by Washington to be named in the media.

There is a large US consulate in Peshawar, which is close to the Afghan border.