Washington, June 04: The United States says it will launch an investigation into the death of an American citizen, who was killed during an Israeli attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla.
The Obama administration “will look into the circumstances of the death of an American citizen,” State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley told reporters.
Furkan Dogan, a US national of Turkish descent, was killed on Monday by Israeli navy forces aboard one of the aid ships in international waters more than 150 km (90 miles) off the coast of Gaza.
Dogan had four bullet wounds to the head and one to the chest, medics say.
Crowley, however, noted that the FBI would not be involved in the probe “at this point.”
He added that US and Israeli officials “at a variety of levels” were “evaluating the facts” regarding the killing of Dogan who was born in Troy, New York.
“Anytime an American is killed overseas, we have the option of evaluating the circumstances and if we think a crime has been committed, then, working with the host government, we have the option of our own investigation,” AFP quoted Crowley as saying.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the administration has asked Tel Aviv to inform Washington about the fate of US citizens who were wounded by Israeli forces in the attack as well as a rally in the Palestinian territories.
The bodies of eight Turks and the US national were handed over to their families in Istanbul on Thursday.
US President Barack Obama “expressed his deep condolences” after he was informed that a US citizen had been killed in the raid, said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.
This is while the US government has refused to condemn Israel for the attack that resulted in international outrage.
——-Agencies