Gunman said to back hard-liners
The suspect killed during what the FBI is calling a “terrorism-related” attack at a Texas naval air base voiced support for hard-line clerics, according to a group that monitors online activity of jihadists.
The attack Thursday at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi wounded a sailor and left the gunman dead. The gunman was identified on Friday by the FBI as 20-year-old Adam Salim Alsahli of Corpus Christi. He had been a business major at a local community college.
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 Associated Press. But she was able to roll over and hit a switch that raised a barrier, preventing the man from getting onto the base, the officials said.
Other security personnel shot and killed the attacker.
There was an initial concern the gunman may have had an explosive device, but Navy experts swept the area and the car and found nothing.
The FBI is examining social media posts investigators believe were made by the shooter expressing support for extremist groups, including Al-qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, two officials familiar with the investigation said. The officials could not discuss an ongoing investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday on “The Today Show” that the wounded sailor was “doing well.”