Terrorism eyed in assault at base
Sailor injured, suspect killed at naval station
A shooting at a Texas naval air station that wounded a sailor and left the gunman dead Thursday was being investigated as “terrorism-related,” the FBI said.
The suspect was identified as Adam Alsahli of Corpus Christi, according to three officials familiar with the investigation who were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
About 6:15 a.m., the gunman tried to speed through a security gate at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, opening fire and wounding the sailor, a member of base security, U.S. officials told the AP. But she was able to roll over and hit the switch that raised a barrier, preventing the man from getting onto the base, the officials said.
Other security personnel shot and killed the man.
There was an initial concern that he might have an explosive device, but Navy experts swept the area and the car and found nothing. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details about an ongoing investigation. Officials had recovered some type of electronic media.
The base was on lockdown for about five hours, but it was lifted shortly before noon. The main gate was reopened, but the gate where the confrontation occurred was still shut down.
FBI Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Leah Greeves said at a news conference that investigators were working to determine whether a second person of interest was at large but did not elaborate. She also would not discuss a potential motive or specify what led investigators to suspect the shooting was related to terrorism.
“We have determined that the incident this morning at the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi is terrorism-related,” Greeves said. “We are working diligently with our state, local and federal partners on this investigation, which is fluid and evolving.”
The FBI’S field office in Houston has taken the lead on the investigation, and neither investigators nor the Navy provided details on the shooter or a possible motive. Attorney General William Barr has been briefed, a Justice Department spokeswoman said.