A security team aboard a US navy refuelling ship fired on a small motor boat off the United Arab Emirates yesterday after it ignored warnings to halt its approach, officials said.
Details on the incident were scarce, including whether anyone was killed or injured when the team opened fire.
A US defence official said the ship was believed to have sped away after being fired on. A spokesman for US Naval Forces central command declined to comment about casualties and referred the question to authorities in the UAE.
Officials there could not be immediately reached for comment.
The motor boat ignored a series of non-lethal warnings as the ship approached the Rappahannock in the waters near the UAE port of Jebel Ali, central command said in a statement.
“The US crew repeatedly attempted to warn the vessel’s operators to turn away from their deliberate approach,” it said, adding that the incident was under investigation. – (Reuters)