Saudi gunman tweeted against US before attack

PENSACOLA (US): The Saudi gunman who killed three people at the Pensacola naval base had apparently gone on Twitter shortly before the shooting to blast US support of Israel and accuse America of being anti-muslim, a US official has said as the FBI confirmed it is operating on the assumption the attack was an act of terrorism.

Investigators on to find the killer, 2nd Lt Mohammed Alshamrani, 21, of the Royal Saudi Air Force, acted alone or was part of a larger plot.

Alshamrani, who was killed by a sheriff ’s deputy, was undergoing flight training at Pensacola, where members of foreign militaries receive instruction.

“We are working with the presumption that this was an act of terrorism,” said Rachel J Rojas, the special agent in charge of the FBI’S office in Jacksonville.

Authorities believe the gunman made social media posts criticising the US under a user handle similar to his name, but federal law enforcement officials are investigating whether he authored the words or just posted them, said the official, who was not authorised to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Also, investigators believe the gunman visited New York City, including Rockefeller Center, days before the shooting and are working to determine the purpose of the trip, the official said. All foreign students at the Pensacola base have been accounted for, no arrests have been made.