ABU DHABI ø Oman has reported the killing of an American, the second
Western national slain in the sultanate in less than a month.
Omani officials said the unidentified U.S. national was found dead in
the Muscat governorate on Wednesday. They did not elaborate.
"The body of an American citizen was found in Al Hail South, in the
governorate of Muscat, on Dec. 31," a police official quoted by the
official Oman News Agency said. "All procedures were immediately taken by
the investigation teams."
The United States has advised Americans in Oman to increase security
precautions. A State Department advisory raised the prospect that Americans
could be in danger in public areas during daylight.
In early December, a German national was shot and killed in broad
daylight near the
British embassy in Muscat, Middle East Newsline reported. In October a British national was shot and
injured.
After weeks of silence, Oman acknowledged the attacks. But authorities
said the shootings were not the work of Islamic insurgents.
Oman contains a significant British and U.S. military presence. The two
Western countries have trained the Omani military and have use of air fields
and naval facilities of the sultanate. The United States also uses Oman for
the prepositioning of army equipment.
