American cargo ship in Suez

In the news (see CNN.com/world) is a story of a contracted military cargo ship shooting at an Egyptian boat and killing one. Supposedly the Egyptians were trying to sell cigarettes to the persons on the ship. I can envision what happened. When we were on the river boat farther south on the Nile, whenever we would stop either at a port or for the locks, dozens of small boats would pull up to us with wares to sell. They would literally toss things onto the upper deck for the tourists to examine. I can imagine the cargo ship being approached in much the same way. However, being in the state of fear (caution) everyone seems in currently, I can also understand how this action can be misunderstood or even used to someone's advantage. I'll find it an interesting story to follow in light of our recent trip.