The attacker who killed three and injured four people at the Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida was a Saudi officer who was in the US for training, officials confirm.
Citing five US officials and a person familiar with the investigation, CNN reported that the attacker was “a member of the Saudi Arabian military” who was undergoing training at the facility. His name has not been released, however.
Reuters, AP, and the New York Times have also reported the Saudi identity of the attacker, who was killed in a shootout with Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies on Friday morning. The Pentagon has not officially confirmed the information.
Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Florida), who represents the district where the base is located, said in a video message on Friday that the training the US military provides to allies is helpful, but that “this event demonstrates a serious failure in the vetting process.”
Gaetz said he would push for “extreme vetting for people who come to our country and train on our bases.”
We're learning a Saudi Arabian military member in Pensacola committed these murders.
The Royal Saudi Air Force uses US-made aircraft and trains many of its pilots – including members of the royal family – at US facilities such as NAS Pensacola. Current Saudi defense minister and former ambassador to the US, Prince Khaled bin Salman, trained at the Columbus AFB in Mississippi and Nellis AFB in Nevada before flying combat missions in Yemen and against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorists.
