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Following the attack: Hattangton stops training Saudi soldiers in US - Walla! News

2019-12-11T18:02:08.273Z


The Ministry of Defense announced that, except for classes in the classroom, all training for the 850 Saudi soldiers would be suspended until further notice. This is after a member of the Saudi Air Force killed three people, in what is defined ...


Following the attack: Pangton stops training Saudi soldiers in the US

The Ministry of Defense announced that, except for classes in the classroom, all training for the 850 Saudi soldiers would be suspended until further notice. This is after a Saudi Air Force trainee killed three people in what is termed a terrorist attack

Following the attack: Pangton stops training Saudi soldiers in the US

Photo: Reuters

The Pentagon announced tonight (Wednesday) that it will stop training all Saudi soldiers staying in the United States until further notice. This is after a Saudi air force shot dead three people at a Florida base last week.

The decision will have far-reaching implications for the visits of Western Saudi military personnel, including the grounding of some 300 members of the Saudi Air Force, as part of a security assessment. The move was first reported in Reuters. Only classes in the classroom, including English lessons, will continue.

A Pentagon official, who will be briefing on the decision, said the move is aimed at more broadly examining the security procedures that will eventually apply to all 5,000 international military students residing in the United States. However, the safety measures taken apply only to the 850 Saudi soldiers. The source, who spoke anonymously, said the shooting "suggested that some improvement might be needed in relation to this population." According to him, there is no evidence that a conservative was part of a larger network.

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Before the attack, the Florida terrorist complained: "Guide laughed at my mustache"

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The FBI is believed to have acted alone. A-conservative

Muhammad a-Shamrani, Saudi terrorist who carried out a Florida naval attack on December 10, 2019 (Photo: Reuters)

Authorities, including the FBI, are continuing to investigate the motive that led Muhammad Sa'id a-Shamrani to fire at a naval base in Pensacola on Friday, before being shot dead by a local police officer. At this point, the incident is defined as a terrorist attack, and hours before the shooting, the shooter posted an anti-American and anti-Israeli manifesto. The FBI is believed to have acted alone.

A few days before the shooting, he hosted a dinner at his home, during which he watched three of his friends in videos documenting mass shootings. A few days earlier, he and three other Saudi military trainees were in New York and visited several museums and the Rockefeller Center. While there is no indication that the trip was more than a sightseeing tour, nonetheless, a few dozen FBI agents and detectives and the New York Police Department worked to learn everything they could about the visit, which took about four days.

The shooting has re-raised questions about the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia, which is already under close scrutiny by Congress over the war in Yemen and the murder of journalist Jamal Hashokji last year in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. However, the US government is trying to portray the attack as a pivotal event that will not affect the overall relationship between the two allies, cooperating in the fight against Iran.

Security has been increased. Base in Pensacola (Photo: Reuters)

Gateway to the US Naval Base Pensacola, Florida, March 16, 2016 (Photo: Reuters)

Navy spokeswoman Lt. Andrea Janaldi said the suspension of Saudi trainees' operational activities began Monday, located at three different facilities, including Pensacola, and all in Florida. "Given the traumatic events, we feel it is best to remove Saudi Air Force members from the flight schedule for a short time."

A-Shamrani was at the base as part of a U.S. Navy training program designed to foster relationships with foreign allies. He began training in the United States in 2017 and has been in the area for the past year and a half.

Secretary of Defense Mark Asper has dismissed the possibility that the shooting could cause the Trump administration to postpone the deployment of additional forces in Saudi Arabia. "Saudi Arabia is our longtime partner in the region. We share security interests," Asper said after the shooting.

Source: walla

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