Motive for shooting a mystery
US law enforcement officials are digging into the background of the Florida naval station shooter to determine the Saudi Air Force officer’s motive and whether the incident was connected to terrorism.
As questions swirled about the shooting yesterday, which left four people dead, including the attacker, officials identified the suspect as Second Lieutenant Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, an aviation officer in the Saudi Air Force.
Alshamrani was attending the aviation school at Naval Air Station Pensacola, one of hundreds of international military personnel who are receiving training there. He opened fire in a classroom building.
US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said the Pentagon was continuing to monitor the Pensacola incident, and was gathering additional facts about the shooting earlier this week at Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, when a young US Navy sailor gunned down two people and then shot himself.
Esper said he was ‘‘considering several steps to ensure the security of our military installations and the safety of our service members and their families’’.
Admiral
Mike
Gilday, the chief of naval operations, said it had been a ‘‘devastating week’’ for the navy.
The Pentagon said Alshamrani was in the US as part of an air force military sales training course. His training began in August 2017 and was scheduled to conclude next August, and included initial pilot training, basic aviation and Englishlanguage instruction.
Foreign nationals participating in military training in the US go through a vetting process. The Pentagon said this included screening for any support for terrorist organisations, corruption and criminal conduct.
US President Donald Trump said he had received a phone call from Saudi King Salman, who expressed ‘‘his sincere condolences’’ and sent his sympathies to the families of those involved.