Why did a ship chartered by the US navy open fire on a small Egyptian motorboat, killing one peddler and injuring two, as it was transiting the Suez Canal? Reem Leila investigates An American cargo ship, on short-term charter from Global Container Lines to the US Navy's Military Sealift Command, opened fire on the evening of 25 March after being approached by a small Egyptian vessel in the Suez Canal. Mahmoud Fouad Afifi, 26, was killed in the incident, and two others aboard the Egyptian boat injured. Global Patriot, the US ship, had entered the Suez Canal loaded with military equipment destined for the Gulf, and was waiting to pass through the Suez Canal. Mohamed Abdel-Wahab, official spokesman of the Suez Canal Authority, said following the incident the ship continued its journey through the canal towards Port Said. A press release issued by the US Embassy in Egypt said the ship was approached by several motorboats while preparing to transit the Suez Canal. The boats, which commonly approach cargo ships in the hope of selling cigarettes and other items to the crew, were hailed and warned by a native Arabic speaker using a bullhorn to turn away. Navy security on board then fired a warning shot using a flare gun. A small boat continued to approach the ship and two sets of warning shots were fired when it was 20-30 yards off the boats bows. "It appears that an Egyptian in the boat was killed by one of the warning shots. The US navy's Fifth Fleet Command is cooperating fully with Egyptian authorities, including the Ministry of Defence, the Suez Canal Authority and other local authorities, as well as the national authorities through the US Embassy in Cairo." Relatives of the victims dispute this account of events. Hussein Abdel-Aal, who was on board one of the three motorboats and is the brother-in-law of Afifi, says the Egyptian vessels were on their way back to the shore when the US ship opened fire randomly and without advance warning. "There were no warning shots from the ship. They fired a flare gun and started shooting immediately," says Abdel-Aal. "We do not work in the evening. Afifi's nephews were with us and we don't work with children." Afifi, a father of two, was waiting for the ship to pass because it was blocking his way, claims Abdel-Aal. After it passed he turned his boat to return to the shore. "Afifi was shot in the back which could not have happened if we were approaching the US ship. None of the accompanying motorboats were approaching," he told Al-Ahram Weekly. Dozens of angry mourners attended Afifi's funeral after the authorities returned his body to his family. After the burial mourners converged on the two-storey house shared by Afifi's family and those of his brothers, and more than 300 people demonstrated against both America and the Egyptian government, which they said does not stand up for them. Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit expressed deep sorrow for the incident and said in a statement Egypt was upset about the "accidental killing" of the Egyptian citizen by the US ship. "The Egyptian boat might have been getting close in a way that was not comfortable for the Americans, but this is no reason for them to open fire inside Egyptian territorial waters. Egyptian ports are not a firing range," Abul-Gheit said. Abul-Gheit's statement, issued on the evening of 26 March, was the first official reaction to the shooting. On 25 March more than 50 MPs reacted angrily to the incident during a session at the People's Assembly, demanding a full, accurate and swift investigation. Many are sceptical their demands will be met. MP Abbas Abdel-Aziz alleges Afifi's body was removed from his grave for an autopsy, at which it was discovered that the bullets that killed him were of a type banned by international treaties. "This kind of bullet is always fatal. It entered Afifi's body from the back then split eight parts. Six of them remained in the body while two passed through, puncturing the heart," claims Abdel-Aziz. "Many MPs requested that the government impound the US ship for violating international codes, but there was no response." The US acknowledged that an Egyptian citizen was killed after shots were fired from an American ship on 26 March. On Monday, the day of the incident, both the US Embassy in Cairo as well as the US Navy said the security team aboard the vessel had not reported any casualties. US President George W Bush called President Hosni Mubarak on 27 March to express his regret over the Suez killing. "President Bush expressed his deep regret and sympathies for the incident which took place in the Suez Canal, and said the United States will fully investigate this in cooperation with Egyptian authorities," White House National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. On Wednesday the US State Department described the incident as regrettable and said it would be investigated. "We will work through the investigation very thoroughly, coordinating with authorities and the US Embassy in Cairo, to get a full account of what happened," Vice Admiral of the Fifth Fleet Kevin J Cosgriff said. Fifth Fleet spokesman Lieutenant Nathan Christensen said relatives of the dead man would be compensated though he could not say how long the process would take. The US Navy has been concerned about the activities of motorboats near its warships ever since Al-Qaeda smashed an explosive-packed rubber dinghy into USS Cole when it was moored in Aden harbour for a routine fuel stop. Seventeen sailors were killed and another 39 injured in the October 2000 blast which ripped through the ship's galley where many of the crew had gathered for lunch. It was reported that sailors on board USS Cole had thought the dinghy was a garbage service boat. Abdel-Aziz says that Egyptians trading with the crews of ships passing through the canal know not to approach military vessels. The Global Patriot, though, had no markings to distinguish it from other civilian cargo ships. Military ships crossing through the canal are usually accompanied by a helicopter and small boats are banned from taking to the water until the ships depart. Even civilians are prohibited from walking on the road parallel to the canal when military ships are in transit. "But being frightened of any small boat is not an excuse for shooting. Even if they had approached the US ship -- which they did not -- it would be the Americans' fault since their ship was disguised.
