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Attorney General Barr Says Pensacola NAS Shooting Was Act Of Terrorism As Investigation Details Are Released
January 13, 2020
The deadly shooting December 6 at Naval Air Station Pensacola was an act of terrorism, U.S. Attorney General William Barr said Monday afternoon as findings from the investigation were released.
Saudi Arabian Air Force 2nd Lt. Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, was “motivated by jihadist ideology”, Barr said, adding he posted a message last September 11 that “the countdown has begun” and visited the 9/11 Memorial in New York City on Thanksgiving weekend. He made additional posts on social media, including one just two hours before the attack.
Barr said reports were not accurate that Alshamrani was accompanied by other Saudi cadets during the attack, but several were in the area and took video of erupting chaos and cooperated with investigators.
The attorney general said 21 Saudi students were being expelled back to Saudi Arabia on Monday for derogatory sentiments, including anti-American messages posted on social media. Some also possessed child pornography. The 21 are not facing charges at this time.
Barr praised two U.S. Marines — Sgt. Ryan Maisel and Staff Sgt. Samuel Mullin — for their response to the shooting. They were outside Building 633 when they heard the gunfire and ran inside to confront the shooter. Their only weapon was a fire extinguisher pulled from a wall. They also performed CPR on victims.
The attorney general also praised the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office for their response; Alshamrani was ultimately shot and killed by ECSO deputies.
Navy Airman Ryan Blackwell, who was shot five times, was also praised by Barr. “Ryan still managed to jump on top of a fellow sailor to keep her from being shot. He further assisted other students and helped them escape, while taking additional fire from the shooter,” he said.
Barr said Apple has not provided substantive assistance in unlocking two iPhones used by the shooter.
FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich said over 500 interviews were conducted during the investigation. He said the shooting lasted about 15 minutes, with Alshamrani engaged by military law enforcement about eight minutes after the first shots were fired. Alshamrani has 180 rounds of ammunition remaining.
Joshua K. Watson, Mohammed S. Haitham and Cameron S. Walters were killed and either others were injured in the attack.
Comments
14 Responses to “Attorney General Barr Says Pensacola NAS Shooting Was Act Of Terrorism As Investigation Details Are Released”
@k: Don’t bring logic and intelligence to this conversation. The simpleminded will start to cry “owie” when their brain starts to hurt from having to think. (sarcasm) for the uninitiated. Sort of. I’m glad for the stand that Apple is taking. So many people in this day and age just LOVE to give up everybody’s rights and freedoms. Just so they can feel all warm and fuzzy from their govmint security blanket.
Lesson of the day:
He who would trade liberty for some temporary security, deserves neither liberty nor security.
Benjamin Franklin
@rance:
I hope my answer helps, I know a lot of people are *beyond angry* – and we shoud be. but for the parents, the explanation is as simple as it is obvious:
a terrorist attacked, and a terrorist was killed. the explanation they need is why security at a *military base* wasn’t better.
we turn now to: “Why help the Saudis?” – There is a *very* good answer…
what has never occurred to quite a few people is that the Saudis trust us to do one thing very well: help maintain the Saudi first line of defense.
with both 9/11 AND the Pensacola attack, what the world witnessed was not a duplicitous Saudi government, but that Saudi is dealing with a cancerous growth of Shia islam within its borders.
what you’re missing is that ALL of the attackers were SHIA Muslims – the majority of the Saudi government are Wahabbi Muslim.
put simply: we are helping Saudi because there is no nation on earth which wants a Shia government in charge of 65 % of the world’s sweet light crude. they would be forced to deal with that government to keep their economy going and then a shia dominated government friendly to Iran would have all the cash it needed to help Iran fund a nuclear weapon.
*that is why we help Saudi even if one of their precious royal-related morons goes off the rails and does stupid crap like what happened at NAS.*
so in short, our committment to nuclear non-proliferation that is our pennance for using the bomb at the end of world war II is the reason that we help Saudi today.
all because Iran wants the bomb. it really is that simple. or complex. either way.
It’s a different world now . Remember 911 – Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were citizens of Saudi Arabia. The four hijacker-pilots, undertook flight training in South Florida. This is twice now that aviation training either civilian or military has been exploited as a way to kill Americans. It doesn’t matter how long they have been training at NAS, more American blood has been shed – That Saudi student was a terrorist. K, you explain your logic to the parents of dead. Moreover, what if was your child that was murdered?. Enough, the bastards can train outside the US.
REGARDING:
“now that American oil imports are zero, and exports are picking up,”
We still import petroleum, refine it and sell it to other countries.
AND
” we are letting them go home?”
Do you want to pay to take care of them for the rest of their lives? I would suggest they be flagged to not return here for prison or anything else.
David for better garbage
You know the real question here is, why did it take 3 deaths for the Gov to do their job ?…These students should have been vetted better from the start and to be continued being monitored while over here. Sad, Sad Sad
Wow…the gub-ment told us that the shooting at NAS was an act of terrorism. Like we stupid citizens didn’t put 2 and 2 together on our own.
What do you expect when you let the enemy in through the front door?
@paul:
Saudi students have been flying over your head here in the Pensacola training area since 1988. that’s… 32 years. and the saudi students who are being sent home are in a double jeopardy: the Saudis are seen by the Muslim world as the caretakers of the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina. the ones charged with porn possession will be handled severely – by the Saudis. the rest will be treated a worse than our gitmo prisoners. and the ones charged with *Both*… well, they won’t be as brutally taken out as Kashoggi was for his treason against Saudi, but the saudi courts will move with motivation against them.
The necessity for Saudi pilots is driven by the equipment they have – there are only two, maybe three countries in the Middle East that the United States enjoys close enough relations with that those countries may obtain the avionics packages that go in the fighters they purchase. Think of it as the Saudis, Israelis, and Jordanians all have the Ultimate edition of the avionics that go in the f-15’s, f-16’s, and f-18’s that they buy from us.
If they have the equipment there, that means they train here, just like our own pilots do. So if we have to go over there and assist, say… against Iran… or Iraq… or Iranian proxies in Yemen, Somalia, or anywhere else near that theater…
you get the idea.
In a nod to your comment, now that American oil imports are zero, and exports are picking up, the only real committment in American policy can shift back to containment of nuclear expansion and the more idealistic push for democratic reform. Which means the Saudis would be left to more or less go their own way and our presence in the region can be drawn down.
hope my comment amplifies why they’re here.
@j in perdido, @Gene, @matchbox :
There is a quote from Apple in a letter released after the San Bernardino attack. Here is a quote from that letter:
We have great respect for the professionals at the FBI, and we believe their intentions are good. Up to this point, we have done everything that is both within our power and within the law to help them. But now the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone.
Specifically, the FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation. In the wrong hands, this software — which does not exist today — would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone’s physical possession.
End quote. So no, Apple does NOT need to help. The report also concluded that he acted alone. So there isn’t even an urgency of situation, so they can’t even FORCE apple to help. Especially now that the help would compromise the security of ALL Apple phones. And the Chinese already have illegal copies of Apple hardware that they sell to their own citizens in violation of trade agreements concerning respect of American patents. So the “chinese market” argument is disqualified right out of the gate.
k.
Cyber-Security Consultant.
Let’s not be too quick to bash Apple. Our all intelligent, and ever wise government officials do plenty, plenty, to cause many of the issues we face.
Apple has been consistent with refusing to help in these matters…..they fear losing the Chinese market. Their belief is the Chinese will avoid their product if the U.S. knows how to bypass the security of the phones. Boycott their products!
Apple not helping with investigation of a terror attack on US soil… I may rethink any future Apple purchase… And everything I have at home and work are Apple products… #Shameonapple #Appleisadigrace #nomoreapple
Saudi Arabia is one of the richest countries on the planet. They have the hardware/they have their own senior pilots that can train their own. No more training of foreign nationals on US soil. Our enemies will exploit every opportunity to kill Americans.
Child pornography? And yet they haven’t been charged and we are letting them go home? Wth..and you too apple….unlock those phones.
This is absolutely terrible news my heart is really burdened buy the evil that continues to take this world over .how can hate and acts like like take over our homes schools and military is simple God has been taken out of every thing and people do not know how to love one another as God commands us we are to pray for our enemy’s I really feel Christian’s need to come togather and start making more head way in bringing bake the basic instructions before leaven earth the bible in class in homes and in our work areas untill then it will only get worse I’ll be praying for the familys