588 US Admits Fatal Suez Shooting

From Agenzia Giornalistica Italia:

(AGI) – Cairo, 26 March – After having first denied the shootout two days ago in the Suez Canal, in which an Egyptian civilian lost his life, now the United States has at least in part gone back on its word, acknowledging that the man was hit by warning shots fired from the Global Patriot, a mercantile ship leased by the US Navy. The admission has come from the American embassy in Cairo. According to the initial version, the salvos had not injured anyone. The victim was a trader who, along with others, had attended to flank the cargo ship as it was entering the Red Sea in the Canal to offer their goods to crew members. However, the attempted approach raised a sense of alarm, with those on board fearing a similar terrorist attack to the one in October 2000 involving the destroyer Cole in the Yemeni port Aden, and an armed response ensued, injuring two others on the raft. “The Global Patriot fired warning shots at the small sea craft that was approaching as it was getting ready to transit the Suez canal,” said the official statement from the US diplomatic representative. “It seems that an Egyptian on board was killed by one of the shots.”

Um, now would be the time to offer abject and repeated apologies and lots of money to the victims’ families…

UPDATE: Here, via email, is a statement from the U.S. Navy. Sounds like they’re talking about compensation:

Update: Motor Vessel Global Patriot
From Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/5th Fleet Public Affairs

MANAMA, Bahrain — The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet has expressed regret for the death of an Egyptian citizen who died Monday night, an apparent result from warning shots fired at a small boat approaching a ship chartered by the U.S. Navy.

“We express our deepest sympathies to the family,” said Vice Admiral Kevin J. Cosgriff, commander, U.S. 5th Fleet. “We accept responsibility for actions that apparently resulted in this accidental death. This situation is tragic, and we will help take care of the victim’s family.”

The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet Command is continuing to work cooperatively with Egyptian authorities, including the Suez Canal Authorities through the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, to fully investigate this incident.

“We will work through the investigation very thoroughly, coordinating with authorities and the Embassy, to get a full and transparent account of what happened,” Cosgriff stated.

An embarked U.S. security team on board the Navy’s MSC ship Global Patriot fired warning shots at a small boat approaching the ship as it was preparing to transit the Suez Canal Monday night at approximately 8:00 p.m. Two other boats had also approached the chartered ship but turned away following warnings from Global Patriot.

Very respectfully,
LT Nate Christensen
DEPUTY PAO – NAVCENT/5th Fleet/CMF

[tags]United States, Egypt, Suez[/tags]

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