A Saudi Air Force member training in the United States killed three people and wounded seven others at the Pensacola military base in Florida on Friday. He could also be the author of hostile messages to the United States on his social networks. King Salman of Saudi Arabia expressed his "deep sadness" to Donald Trump by phone.

A member of the Saudi Air Force in military training in the United States killed three people Friday at a naval air station in Florida before being shot by police. The assailant, who could be a pilot or an aviation technician, perpetrated his attack with a handgun. The police will also have to check whether he is the author of anti-American writings on the internet. He had posted virulent messages to the United States on Twitter before his attack, said the monitoring group of jihadist movements SITE.

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"I am against evil, and America as a whole has become a nation of evil," the attacker, identified by SITE as Twitter's Mohammed al-Shamrani, wrote on Twitter. "I am not against you simply because you are Americans, I do not hate you because of your freedoms, I hate you because every day you support, finance and commit crimes not only against Muslims but also against humanity, "he added, according to SITE. ABC News said the investigators were looking to see if the author of the attack had published the writings, citing former al-Qaeda jihadist leader Osama bin Laden. The Twitter account in question has been suspended.

Cooperation of Saudi and US security services

According to Saudi Arabia's official SPA agency, King Salman of Saudi Arabia expressed his "deep sadness" to Donald Trump by phone and claimed that the author of this "heinous crime" did not represent his people. He also assured the US president of the "full support" of his kingdom, Washington's precious ally in the region, and "ordered the Saudi security services to cooperate with US agencies."

At a press conference Friday night, FBI official Rachel Rojas said she was unable to confirm the name or motive of the gunman. "I think there will be many answers to the fact that this individual, a foreigner, a member of the Saudi Air Force, was training on our soil and committed this," said the Florida governor Ron DeSantis. According to the New York Times, which quotes an unnamed source, six other Saudi nationals were questioned at the scene of the attack, two of whom filmed it in its entirety.

Three dead, seven wounded

The shooting took place in one of the classrooms at the Pensacola base, said David Morgan, the sheriff of Escambia County. "You can not bring a weapon to the base unless you are a member of the security forces," said Major Timothy Kinsella. The provisional toll of the attack is three killed and seven wounded, not counting the assailant.

The gunman was "neutralized" by two officers, wounded in the exchange of gunfire, according to Sheriff Morgan. "A hundred or so law enforcement vehicles have probably rushed to the scene," a local witness, Jeff Bergosh, told local newspaper Pensacola News Journal.

About 16,000 soldiers are accommodated on the Pensacola base, where more than 7,000 civilians are also employed. Acrobatic air patrols, such as the Blue Angels, are stationed there. The site is used by the US Navy for training programs for allied military personnel. The flags will be half-masted for a week on all Florida public buildings.