US ship didn't warn Indian fishermen: Dubai police chief

Dubai -  The US ship that fired at Indian fishermen off the Dubai coast, killing one and injuring three, did not warn them, Dubai Police commander-in-chief was quoted as saying Thursday.

According to the testimony of the injured, the Indian fishermen were not warned to move away by the US Navy, said Lieutenant-General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim. The crew told the police that  they did not move towards the ship and instead attempted to avoid it, reported Khaleej Times.

“According to our findings and testimonies of the injured, I believe that they told the truth,” Lt-Gen Dhahi was quoted as saying.

On Monday evening, Indian fisherman A. Sekhar was killed and M. Panduvanathan, K. Muthukannan and R. Muthumaniraj were injured when naval personnel on board USNS Rappahannock,  a fuel re-supply ship, opened fire on a small motor vessel near Jebel Ali port off Dubai.

The fleet later issued a statement saying that the USNS Rappahannock attacked the small motorboat near the Dubai port of Jebel Ali, because the small vessel "ignored the warnings and  came too close".

"The US crew repeatedly attempted to warn the vessel's operators to turn away from their deliberate approach. When those efforts failed to deter the approaching vessel, the security team  on the Rappahannock fired rounds from a .50-caliber machine gun," the statement said.