Friday’s shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola, in which four people, including the shooter, died, marks the second time this week gun violence erupted at a U.S. military installation.
But while Wednesday’s shooting in Hawaii was related to a domestic issue, the attack on Friday became international incident after it was reported the suspect was a second lieutenant in the Royal Saudi Air Force.
Mohammed Alshamrani, according to authorities, was one of about 200 foreign nationals receiving training on the naval air base as part of a program in which U.S. allies send members of their armed forces there to study aviation.
Alshamrani’s training on the base, which included English language and basic aviation courses, started in August 2017 and was scheduled to finish by August 2020, according to the Department of Defense.
His participation in the program is part of a military practice that goes back decades, NAS Pensacola base commander Capt. Timothy Kinsella said during a press conference in the aftermath of the shooting
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