Taylor launches probe into shooting of diplomat

The Liberian authorities are investigating the shooting of the deputy military attaché of the US Embassy in Monrovia, Radio Liberia International reported on Monday. The radio said Sergeant James Newton was shot on Sunday at a checkpoint manned by Liberian security agents, and quoted a US Embassy spokesman as saying that he was in a stable condition. The spokesman also said his shooting was an isolated incident that was not related to any anti-US sentiment. The Panafrican News Agency (PANA) quoted the same embassy spokesman as saying that Newton was shot in the lower abdomen and was flown to neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire for further care after receiving emergency treatment in Monrovia. PANA reported the Liberian government as saying that a soldier of the elite Anti-Terrorist Unit shot Newton while “attempting to disable a vehicle that broke through a security checkpoint at very high speed”.