WASHINGTON – Saudi servicemen training at US military bases will beexpelled from United States in the aftermath of a Pentagon review promptedby the deadly December 6 shooting by a Saudi Air Force officer at anAmerican naval base in Florida, CNN reported on Saturday.
Quoting unnamed sources, CNN reported Saudi personnel being expelled arenot accused of aiding the Saudi Air Force second lieutenant who killedthree American sailors at the Pensacola installation.
The Pentagon referred questions to the Justice Department, which did notimmediately respond to a request for comment. The FBI and the Saudi Embassyin Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Pentagon announced on December 10 it was halting operational trainingof all Saudi Arabian military personnel in the United States after theincident. The Pentagon then announced on December 19 that it found nothreat in its review of about 850 military students from Saudi Arabiastudying in the United States.
The shooting, which took place at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida,left eight people injured including two sheriff’s deputies who responded tothe attack.
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Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, in a telephonic conversationwith US president Donald Trump had denounced a fatal shooting at anAmerican naval base, according to the state media.
The Saudi king expressed deep sorrow over the Florida shooting —allegedlycarried out by a Saudi air force member — and pledged cooperation with theUnited States, said the official Saudi Press Agency.
“He (the King) affirmed that the perpetrator of this heinous crime does notrepresent the Saudi people,” it reported. – CNN
