Indian fisherman killed in US Navy firing off Dubai

Dubai/Rameswaram: An Indian fisherman was killed and three others were seriously wounded on Monday when a US Navy supply ship opened fire at their small boat off the coast of Dubai, a United Arab Emirates official said. “An Indian fisherman was killed and three others, also Indians, were seriously injured,” UAE’s state-run news agency WAM quoted Foreign Ministry official Tariq Ahmed Al Haidan as saying. “The UAE concerned authorities are investigating the shooting incident,” he added, adding that the incident took place in Jabel Ali, a frequent docking point for US naval vessels about 30 miles southwest of Dubai. [caption id=“attachment_348935” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] In the line of fire.[/caption] In Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, Karaiyur Fishermen Association President Malairajan said the dead fisherman has been identified as Sekar of Periyapattinam in Ramanathapuram district. The injured are Muniraj, Panpuvan and Murugan who also hail from Ramanathapuram, he said, adding Munira had been admitted to hospital with bullet injuries. Malairajan said fishermen from Ramanathapuram district were working for Dubai fishing companies on daily wage basis. Lt Gred Raelson, a spokesman for US Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said a security team aboard the USNS Rappahannock fired from a .50-calibre machinegun on the boat after it disregarded warnings and raced towards the ship. “The incident is under investigation,” he said. Dozens of police and other Emirati officials crowded around the white-hulled motorised boat. The boat appeared to be a civilian vessel about 30 feet long and powered by three outboard motors. Similar boats are used for fishing in the region. Rescue workers were seen carrying one person in a body bag off the boat and placing it in an ambulance as fishermen looked on. Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Washington got in touch with the Pentagon and the State Department soon after the incident to seek its details, sources said. However, there was no immediate response from the Pentagon or the State Department. Officials said the  US Navy ship fired at the approaching fishing boat, but did not immediately blame terrorism or cite an Iran-link to the incident. Why the boat approached the US refuelling ship, the USNS Rappahannock, was still unclear, US officials said. But the US Navy said the small motorboat ignored repeated warnings to halt its approach before a security team fired rounds from a .50-caliber machine gun. Even small boats dwarfed by the size of the US vessel can pose a threat, Reuters reported. Two suicide bombers rammed an explosives-laden boat into the USS Cole in 2000, blowing a massive hole in its side and killing 17 US sailors. But the incident was also reminder of how quickly a confrontation can turn deadly in the Gulf, where tensions with Iran have triggered military buildup by the United States and its allies. The shooting took place in the waters near the UAE port of Jebel Ali, US Naval Forces 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 the incident was under investigation. Accelerating deployment The incident came as the US military has bolstered its presence in the region, sending additional fighter jets, deploying a floating naval base and doubling the number of mine-sweepers in recent months. Iran renewed threats on Sunday to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which 40 percent of he world’s seaborne oil exports pass, unless sanctions imposed over its nuclear program are revoked. Shortly before news of the shooting incident broke, the Pentagon announced it was accelerating the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East, assuring that the United States keeps two of the massive nuclear-powered ships and their entourages of warships in the tense region. Pentagon spokesman George Little was vague about the motives behind the decision to send in the USS John C. Stennis roughly four months ahead of schedule. But he denied it was tied exclusively to Iran. “This is about a wide-range of U.S. security interests in the region. We’re always mindful of the challenges posed by Iran but let me be very clear – this is not a decision that is based solely on the challenge posed by Iran,” Little said. Agencies