A U.S. diplomat was found dead at his home in Addis Ababa, the U.S. embassy said Thursday, and police have launched a criminal investigation.
A diplomatic source in the Ethiopian capital said the 25-year-old man worked had apparently been murdered. His body was found on Monday.
A U.S. embassy spokesman said police had launched a criminal investigation. A local police spokesman said it was too early to give any details.
Reuters earlier cited U.S. officials as saying that the diplomat was named Brian Adkins and he was found dead in his home in Addis Ababa.
"The death is under investigation and we are coordinating closely with the government of Ethiopia," said a State Department official, who asked not to be named as the department had not officially released details of the death.
Another official said it was a suspected homicide and that U.S. diplomatic security were looking into the incident.
Adkins was a foreign service officer who worked in the consular section of the embassy. A graduate of George Washington University in Washington, Ethiopia was his first foreign assignment for the State Department.
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