A U.S. citizen and aid worker has been abducted from his home in the Pakistani city of Lahore after gunman stormed his residence and overpowered security guards, officials say.

The U.S. Embassy and police officials identified the man as Warren Weinstein.

According to the LinkedIn social network Web site Weinstein is the Pakistan country director for J.E. Austin Associates Inc., a position held since 2004. The LinkedIn listing says he has worked on dairy production, horticulture and manufacturing projects, some funded by the U.S. government.

Pakistani police say between eight and 10 assailants broke into Weinstein's house in an upscale neighborhood after persuading the guards to open the gate. The assailants apparently said they wanted to give them food -- a common act of sharing during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

The guards were busy preparing for an early meal, according to Abdul Razaq Cheema, a Lahore police official, who spoke to the GEO television channel.

In his 60s, Weinstein had returned to Lahore the previous night from Islamabad, The Associated Press reported.

The Web site of the company where Weinstein works describes him as an "expert in international development with 25 years of experience." The site says Weinstein holds a PhD in international law and economics from Columbia University and has worked in fields including governance and microfinance.

"The American citizen had been living in Lahore for the last four to five years and was associated with consultancy business," Shahzada Saleem, senior local police official, told the AFP news agency.

U.S. relations with Pakistan have been strained since Raymond Davis, a contractor working for the Central Intelligence Agency, killed two men in February in a Lahore Street.

Relations were also strained when U.S. Navy SEALS killed Osama bin Laden in the Pakistani army garrison army town of Abbottabad on May 2. Pakistan officials were upset they had not been informed in advance of the raid.

In its latest travel advisory for the South Asian country, the U.S. State Department warned that the presence of al-Qaeda, Taliban militants and local sectarian groups in Pakistan posed a potential danger to U.S. citizens.

"The kidnapping of Pakistani citizens and other foreign nationals, usually for ransom, continues to increase dramatically nationwide," it said.

Al-Qaeda Manufacturing Storm U.S. Navy