FBI treat shooting on naval base that killed three as terrorist act
THE FBI is working under the presumption that a fatal shooting at a Florida naval base carried out by an aviation student from Saudi Arabia was an act of terrorism.
All international students at the Pensacola base have been accounted for, there have been no arrests, and the community is under no immediate threat, special agent Rachel L Rojas said at a news conference.
The victims of the attack have been named as Joshua Kaleb Watson (23), Mohammed Sameh Haitham (19) and Cameron Scott Walters (21).
A Saudi commanding officer has ordered all students from the country to remain at one location at the base, officials said.
Additionally, authorities believe the gunman made social media posts in which he talked about US support for Israel and claimed that Americans are anti-Muslim, a US official said.
Investigators also believe the gunman visited New York City, including Rockefeller Centre, days before the shooting and are working to determine the purpose of the trip, said the official.
The FBI and others had said they were trying to determine whether the gunman, 2nd Lieutenant Mohammed Alshamrani (21) of the Royal Saudi Air Force, acted alone. Alshamrani was a flight student at Pensacola, where members of foreign militaries are routinely trained by the US.
Earlier in the week, Alshamrani hosted a dinner party where he and three others watched videos of mass shootings, another US official said.
The US has sought the assistance of Saudi officials as they try to piece together information about the gunman and his motive.