A shooting at the gate of a Jordanian air base earlier this month that left three American soldiers dead may have been an act of terrorism, the U.S. Embassy in Amman said Wednesday.
The Pentagon said two days after the November 4 shooting that 27-year-old Staff Sgt. Matthew C. Lewellen, of Lawrence, Kansas; 30-year-old Staff Sgt. Kevin J. McEnroe of Tucson, Arizona; and 27-year-old Staff Sgt. James F. Moriarty of Kerrville, Texas, died after the convoy they were in came under fire as it entered a Jordanian military base.
“Investigators are considering all potential motives and reasons for why American service members came under fire, and they have not yet ruled out terrorism as a potential motive,” the American Embassy in Jordan said in a statement. “Contrary to press reports, there has been absolutely no credible evidence to suggest that U.S. personnel acted contrary to orders or established procedures when accessing the base.”
The three soldiers, all with the Special Forces, were in Jordan on a training mission and were returning to the air base when a Jordanian soldier opened fire, New York Times reported. According to the Times, the Jordanian soldier was wounded in what was described as an exchange of fire and was taken into custody.
