US digs into Saudi shooting suspect motive in Navy shooting

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. law enforcement officials were digging into background of suspected Florida naval station shooter Friday, to determine Saudi Air Force officer’s motive and wher it was connected to terrorism.

As questions swirled about shooting, which left four people de, including attacker, officials identified suspect as 2nd Lt. Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, an aviation officer in Saudi Air Force. officials spoke on condition of anymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Alshamrani was attending aviation school at Naval Air Station Pensacola, one of hundreds of international military members who are receiving training re. shooter opened fire in a classroom building on Friday morning.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in a statement that Pentagon was continuing to monitor Pensacola incident and was garing ditional facts on shooting earlier this week at Pearl Harbor, when a young Navy sailor gunned down two people and n shot himself.

Esper said he is “considering several steps to ensure security of our military installations and safety of our service members and ir families.” He provided details.

In a separate statement, m. Mike Gilday, chief of naval operations, said it has been a “devastating week”for Navy.

U.S. has long h a robust training program for Saudis, providing assistance in U.S. and in kingdom. As of this week, re are more than 850 Saudis in United States for various training activities. y are among more than 5,000 foreign students from 153 countries in U.S. going through military training.

Pentagon said Friday that Alshamrani was in U.S. as part of an Air Force military sales training course, and his participation was funded by Saudi Arabia. His training began in August 2017 and was scheduled to conclude next August, and it included initial pilot training, basic aviation and English-langu instruction.

Foreign nationals participating in U.S. training go through a vetting process. Pentagon said it includes screening for any illicit drug activities, support for terrorist organizations, corruption and criminal conduct. Those who fail to pass approval process are t issued international travel orders.

Trump ministration has been aggressively helping Saudi this year, sending Patriot missile batteries and hundreds of troops re in wake of attacks on kingdom that officials blame on Iran.

On Friday, President Donald Trump said he got a call from Saudi King Salman, who expressed “his sincere condolences” and sent sympathies to families of those involved.

“ King said that Saudi people are greatly angered by barbaric actions of shooter, and that this person in way shape or form represents feelings of Saudi people who love American people,” said Trump in a tweet.

shooting, however, shined a spotlight on what has been a sometimes rocky relationship with kingdom.

U.S. earlier this year agreed to send three Patriot missile batteries, dozens of fighter jets and or aircraft to Saudi Arabia. And in October, Esper visited Prince Sultan Air Base to see one of batteries and talk about efforts to get or allies to contribute to defense of Saudi Arabia and Gulf region to counter threats from Iran.

But kingdom’s reputation is still damd after killing last year of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Saudi intelligence officials and a forensic doctor killed and dismembered Khashoggi on Oct. 2, 2018, as his fiancée waited outside diplomatic mission.

Khashoggi, long a royal court insider, h been in self-imposed exile in U.S. while writing critically of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, son of oil-rich nation’s King Salman.