One dead, two injured after fishermen reportedly ignored warnings
One fisherman has been killed, and two injured, after a US Navy refuelling ship fired at a fishing boat near a Dubai port.
Reports claim the USNS Rappahannock fired at the 30ft fishing boat as it raced towards the military vessel despite their warnings to stop.
Lieutenant Greg Raelson, a spokesman for the US Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th fleet, said in a statement that the crew repeatedly tried to warn the ship to turn away. He added: “When those efforts failed to deter the approaching vessel, the security team on the Rappahannock fired rounds from a .50-caliber machine gun.”
It’s been suggested that the fishing boat was seen as a safety threat, because Iran’s Revolutionary Guard is known to employ small, fast-moving craft in the Gulf. However, according to Reuters, officials have not immediately blamed the incident on terrorism or cited any link with Iran.
The incident is currently under investigation.