The U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said its Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain had opened fire on a speeding vessel off the coast of Dubai today.
In a press release, the Fifth Fleet said a small motor vessel disregarded warnings and approached the USNS Rappahannock. A security team about the Navy vessel "used a series of non-lethal, preplanned responses to warn the vessel before resorting to lethal force."
The team aboard the vessel fired using a .50-caliber machine gun.
The AP reports:
"A U.S. consular official and an Emirati rescue official in Dubai told The Associated Press that one person was killed and three were wounded in the shooting. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the incident between the two allies."
We'll update this post once more details become available.
Update at 5:14 p.m. ET. One Killed, Three Injured:
The AP says one person was killed and three others were injured in today's incident:
"A UAE official said the vessel was a fishing boat. It was unclear why it might have veered so close to an armed American vessel.
"There was no immediate sign of Iranian involvement, or any indication that the incident was a reprise of al-Qaida's 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen."
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