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Pensacola NAS shooting declared an 'act of terrorism,' 21 Saudi cadets being sent home

Posted at 3:03 PM, Jan 13, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-13 15:03:56-05

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WTXL) — U.S. officials have concluded that the shooting at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola was an act of terrorism.

The Saudi Arabian shooter at Naval Air Station Pensacola was "motivated by Jihadist ideology," according to Attorney General William Barr. Barr says 21 Saudi military students are being removed from the US training program and are being sent home, CNN reports.

Barr said many of the cadets being sent home had were involved with child pornography and possessed jihadist or anti-American material, though none are accused of participating or knowing about the deadly shooting.

The December 6 shooting was carried out by a Saudi national, Second Lt. Mohammed Alshamrani, who was in the U.S. taking part in a military fighter training program. He, along with three U.S. service members, were killed in the incident.

Officials have said Alshamrani hosted a party before the shooting, where he and others watched videos of mass shootings. They say the shooter posted on social media on 9/11/19 that the “countdown is on.” He also visited the 9/11 memorial.