Saudi Arabia man involved in shooting at US naval base in Pensacola

A gunman in Florida's Pensacola naval base went on a shooting spree on Friday. The shooting at Pensacola naval base left four people dead and injured eight others. US officials have identified the shooter as one Mohammed Alshamrani from Saudi Arabia. The US investigating agencies have detained six other Saudi nationals from the scene of the crime. 

According to reports, Mohammed Alshamrani was in the United States to receive basic aviation, initial pilot training, and English classes at the Pensacola base in Florida. The shooter was in the country since 2017 and was part of some 200 foreign students training in the US. According to the SITE intelligence group, the shooter posted a short manifesto on his twitter account where he assailed America as a "nation of evil" prior to the attack. 

The deadly attack

According to US officials, Mohammed Alshamrani was a Saudi Air Force second lieutenant. The gunman opened fire at around 6:51 am over two floors in a classroom and the first reports of active-shooting reached the Escambia County Sherrif's office. The suspect was fatally killed by the deputy of Sherrif David Morgan. 

Read: 3 Civilians, Shooter Killed In Pensacola Naval Base Shooting: Officials

According to a statement released on the official website of the Saudi Arabia embassy in Washington, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud expressed his sorrow and grief to the President of the United States, Donald Trump. The King also offered condolences to families of the victims. Al-Saud assured president Trump that Saudi security services will fully cooperate with American agencies.

Read: US Digs Into Saudi Shooting Suspect Motive In Navy Shooting

President Trump also took to his official twitter handle to share the news with the American people. Trump wrote that King Salman called him and expressed his sincerer condolences and that the people of Saudi Arabia are greatly angered by the barbaric attack that took place at the Pensacola naval base.  

Read: Multiple Injured In Shooting At Hawaii's Pearl Harbor Base; IAF Chief And Team Safe

The Pensacola base that employs about 16,000 military and 7,400 civilian personnel are currently training around 18 naval aviators and two aircrew members from the Royal Saudi Naval Forces. According to reports, Saudi Air Force officers training in the United States are hand-picked by their military and often come from elite families in the Kingdom. 

Read: Southern California School Reopens After Deadly Shooting

(with inputs from agencies)