The rumors have increased tensions in Bahrain, the host of the Fifth
Fleet for more than 30 years. The Muslim-led kingdom, confronted by an increasingly restive
Shi'ite majority, has seen protests for the withdrawal of the
U.S. military presence, which numbers more than 3,000.
Navy sailors were blamed for the March 29 shooting death of a Bahraini
national. The casualty was a 27-year-old security guard at a Manama hotel
frequented by U.S. officers.
"Our investigations and our cooperation with the Bahraini authorities
indicate that no U.S. Marine was involved in the terrible tragedy," Lt.
Cmdr. Charlie Brown, spokesman for the U.S. Fifth Fleet, said on March 31.
"I believe that people believed that whoever fired the shot was an
American Marine because the facility is frequented mainly by Westerners, but
this speculation is totally irresponsible," Brown said. "No U.S. staff is
allowed to carry firearms into the city."
At this point, no Bahraini has pointed to the alleged killer of the
security guard. Witnesses did not report hearing gun shots.
The U.S. embassy in Bahrain has also denied urging Americans to leave
Bahrain. On March 29, the embassy warned Americans of weekend demonstrations
in the Gulf Arab kingdom.
"There has been no announcement by the U.S. embassy which was worded to
ask American citizens to leave Bahrain," U.S. embassy spokeswoman Helen
LaFave said. "These are baseless rumors which have sprung out of nowhere."
