Over 300 Saudi military aviation students grounded in US after Navy base shooting
- Air Force Second Lieutenant Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, 21, killed three people before being fatally shot by sheriff’s deputy
- Incident raises new questions about US relationship with Saudi Arabia, amid increased scrutiny over Yemen war and death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi
More than 300 Saudi Arabian military aviation students have been grounded as part of a “safety stand-down” after a Saudi Air Force lieutenant shot and killed three people last week at a US Navy base in Florida, US officials said on Tuesday.
The FBI has said US investigators believe Saudi Air Force Second Lieutenant Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, 21, acted alone when he attacked the base in Pensacola, Florida, on Friday, before he was fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy.
The shootings have again raised questions about the US military relationship with Saudi Arabia, which has come under heightened scrutiny in Congress over the war in Yemen and Saudi Arabia’s killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi last year.
Still, US military leaders have sought to portray this as a localised issue which would not affect the overall US-Saudi relationship.
“A safety stand-down and operational pause commenced Monday for Saudi Arabian aviation students,” said Lieutenant Andriana Genualdi, a Navy spokeswoman.