PENSACOLA, Florida (AP) – The Saudi student who fatally shot three sailors at a US naval base in Florida hosted a dinner party earlier in the week where he and three others watched videos of mass shootings, a US official said Saturday.
Officials investigating the deadly attack were working Saturday to determine whether or not it was motivated by terrorism, while President Donald Trump indicated he would review policies governing foreign military training in the United States.
The Navy on Saturday identified the three victims and hailed them as heroes for trying to stop the shooter and flagging down first responders after being shot.
“The Sailors that lost their lives in the line of duty and showed exceptional heroism and bravery in the face of evil,” Capt. Tim Kinsella, the commanding officer of Naval Air Station Pensacola, said. “When confronted, they didn’t run from danger; they ran towards it and saved lives.”
The shooter opened fire inside a classroom at the naval base on Friday, killing three people and wounding two sheriff’s deputies, one in the arm and one in the knee, before one of the deputies killed him. Eight others were also hurt. Both deputies were expected to survive.
The official who spoke Saturday said one of the three students who attended the dinner party hosted by the attacker recorded video outside the classroom building while the shooting was taking place. Two other Saudi students watched from a car, the official said.
Ten Saudi students were being held on the base Saturday while several others were unaccounted for, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity after being briefed by federal authorities.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation identified the shooter in a statement Saturday night as Mohammed Alshamrani, 21. Investigators said he was a second lieutenant in the Royal Saudi Air Force and was a student naval flight officer of Naval Aviation Schools Command.
A US official on Friday said the FBI was examining social media posts and investigating whether or not he acted alone or was connected to any broader group. The official wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke condition of anonymity.
Two US officials said Friday that authorities were investigating whether or not the attack was terrorism-related. They spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose information that had not yet been made public.
