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In the second major terrorist attack at the US consulate in the port city of Karachi in eight months, unidentified gunmen on Friday opened fire on guards posted outside the heavily fortified building.
An assistant sub-inspector and a constable were killed while four cops and a pedestrian were injured in the incident.
Inspector General of Police (Sindh province) Sayed Kamal Shah was quoted by state-run television as saying that one of the gunmen was arrested.
The condition of three of the five injured is serious, he said.
The shootout occurred around 1415 IST.
Reports from Karachi said one of the attackers allegedly snatched a sub-machine gun from a guard and started firing at a police post outside the consulate.
An official of the US embassy said precautionary measures had been taken to protect the consulate staff.
Shah reportedly said the cops were targeted as no consulate official was outside the building.
On June 14, 2002, a car bomb suicide attack on the consulate had claimed 12 Pakistani lives. Subsequently, the mission was relocated and its address was kept secret for several months.