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Investigators have announced that the tragic shooting at Pensacola NAS was carried out by a Saudi national who was training at the base. The shooter has been identified as Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani. He was attending training as part of the U.S. Air Force Foreign Military Sales training program.
It is not uncommon for the US to train with military personnel from other countries, especially our allies. This includes training at military installations in the US, such as Pensacola NAS. Despite an alarming number of terrorist incidents involving Saudi nationals, the nation remains an important US ally in the region, with President Trump enjoying strong ties to the current king.
One of the victims has been identified as Joshua Kaleb Watson of Enterprise. Watson graduated from Enterprise High School where he participated in JROTC and the National Honor Society. He went on to spend four years at the US Naval Academy. Watson was shot during the shooting rampage but managed to get away and alert first responders to the shooter’s location. He later succumbed to his injuries.
The shooting has once again raised questions about firearms on military bases. This was the second shooting at a base in a week, following an attack in Hawaii. There are restrictions on carrying firearms on the base, and now some advocates are calling for occupants to be able to arm themselves to protect against attacks such as these.