American Marines shot and wounded an Iraqi man in the former flashpoint city of Fallujah believing he was throwing a grenade at them, the US military said Thursday - but local police and witnesses said the object was only the man's slipper. During a joint patrol of US Marines and Iraqi security forces in Fallujah, 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of Baghdad, the man "threw an object, believed to be a grenade" at the passing troops on Wednesday afternoon, according to a US military statement. "US forces fired in self-defense, wounding the attacker," the military said. "The convoy stopped, secured the area and began to render medical aid." The man, Ahmed al-Jumaili, was rushed to a local hospital and was in stable condition there Thursday after being treated for a chest wound and two bullet grazes.