US Citizen Killed in Raid on Gaza Aid Flotilla

White House had urged restraint, warned of Americans on board
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 3, 2010 9:53 AM CDT
US Citizen Killed in Gaza Aid Ship Raid
The coffin of a victim of the Israeli naval commando raid is carried at the end of the religious funeral service at the Fatih mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, June 3, 2010.   (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

An American citizen who'd been living in Turkey was among the nine people killed in Israel's raid on aid ships bound for Gaza. Forensic reports say the man, 19-year-old Furkan Dogan, was shot in the head four times, and once more in the chest, ABC News reports. The revelation comes on the heels of an Obama administration announcement that it had repeatedly warned Israel to use caution in dealing with the flotilla, and that there would likely be US citizens aboard.

“We communicated with Israel through multiple channels many times,” a State Department spokesman told the Washington Post. “We emphasized caution and restraint given the anticipated presence of civilians, including American citizens.” Last night Joe Biden also told Charlie Rose that the administration had “put as much pressure and as much cajoling on Israel as we can to allow” humanitarian aid to get through, though he defended Israel's right to inspect the ships. (More Gaza aid flotilla attack stories.)

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