Commander of US 5th Fleet found dead in Bahrain

The U.S. Navy admiral overseeing American naval forces in the Middle East has been found dead at his residence in Bahrain, the Navy said on Saturday, adding that foul play was not suspected.

Admiral John Richardson, the 31st chief of Naval Operations, tweeted that "It's my sad duty to inform you that today the Secretary of the Navy and I were informed that Vice Admiral Scott Stearney, our commander of US Naval Forces Central Command and commander of US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, was found deceased in his residence in Bahrain today."

Stearney, the commander of the US Navy's Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet, oversaw American naval forces in the Middle East, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Navy did not explain the cause of his death, only saying that "the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Bahraini Ministry of Interior are cooperating on the investigation, but at this time no foul play is suspected."

Stearney's deputy, Rear Admiral Paul Schlise, had taken Stearney's command.