Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani Bio, Wiki
Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani is identified as a Saudi student who shot dead at least three and wounded 8 in Pensacola Naval Base shooting.
The mass shooting at the Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida is being investigated by the FBI. The gunman, Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, killed three and injured eight people. He is a Saudi Arabian national. https://t.co/vVgRnFhKN6
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) December 6, 2019
Pensacola Naval Base Shooting
Nas Pensacola employs more than 16,000 militaries and 7,400 civilian personnel, according to its website. One of the navy’s most historic and storied bases, it sprawls along the waterfront south-west of downtown Pensacola and dominates the economy of the surrounding area.
An aviation student Mohammed Saeed from Saudi Arabia opened fire in a classroom building at the naval air station (Nas) in Pensacola, Florida, on Friday morning, a US official said, an attack that left three dead in addition to the assailant.
NBC News: NAS Pensacola shooter is named Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, from Saudi Arabia pic.twitter.com/zZ8NJs8fgo
— Steve Lookner (@lookner) December 6, 2019
The assault was the second at a US navy base this week and prompted a massive law enforcement response and a lockdown at the base.
The student Saeed Alshamrani, who was fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy, was a second lieutenant in the Saudi air force, said two US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose information that had not yet been made public. The officials said authorities were investigating whether the attack was terrorism-related.
Donald Trump tweeted that he had been fully briefed on the incident. “My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families during this difficult time. We are continuing to monitor the situation as the investigation is ongoing,” the president said.
Just received a full briefing on the tragic shooting at NAS Pensacola in Florida, and spoke to @GovRonDeSantis. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families during this difficult time. We are continuing to monitor the situation as the investigation is ongoing.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2019
Investigations
Authorities are now investigating if the attack at Naval Air Station in Pensacola early Friday morning was terrorism-related.
The shooter, who was shot dead by police, was first identified by NBC News, citing unnamed sources, as Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani.
MUSLIM SHOOTER: Name of shooter in Pensacola Naval Base is Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, who was a Saudi national in the U.S. for flight training. 4 people were killed including the shooter.
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 6, 2019
US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, said the suspect was a second lieutenant attending the aviation school at the base.
Royal Saudi Naval Force Students in the USA
#Pensacola Naval Air Station attacker Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani was a Saudi military member receiving training there. Four are dead (including him). Terrorism is a very plausible scenario, though authorities aren’t yet calling it terrorism. No group has yet claimed. pic.twitter.com/4DegNoWAHF
— Rita Katz (@Rita_Katz) December 6, 2019
In recent weeks, 18 naval aviators and two aircrew members from the Royal Saudi Naval Forces were training with the US Navy, including at Pensacola, according to a November 15 press release from the Navy. It was not clear if the suspected shooter was part of that delegation.
The delegation came under a Navy program that offers training to US allies, known as the Naval Education and Training Security Assistance Field Activity.
A person familiar with the program said that Saudi Air Force officers selected for military training in the United States are intensely vetted by both countries.
The Saudi personnel are ‘hand-picked’ by their military and often come from elite families, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they did not have permission to speak to a reporter. Trainees must speak excellent English, the person said.
Pearl Harbor Shooting
The shooting came two days after a U.S. Navy sailor Gabriel Romero shot three people and then killed himself at Pearl Harbor.
Fast Facts You Need to Know
- The shooting took place early Friday morning at the base and triggered a blockade.
Deputies of the Sheriff of the District of Escambia responded to the Naval Air Station and confronted the armed man with his death.
The sources identified the alleged shooter as aerospace students of the Saudi Arabian Air Force, Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani
Republican Matt Gaetz, who represents Pensacola, described the shooting as a “terrorist act.”
President Trump tweeted that King Salman told him: “The Saudi people are very upset about the acts of barbarism of the gunman …”
Three more were shot dead in a classroom incident
The nearby hospital received a total of eight patients, one of whom died later.
The deputies who committed themselves to the gunman were shot but should recover
“Going through the scene was like being on the set of a movie,” Sheriff David Morgan told reporters.