Author of a shooting at a US naval base in December had " significant ties " to the jihadist group Al-Qaeda " even before arriving in the United States, " Justice Minister Bill Barr said on Monday .
Read also: Saudi king condemns "abominable" shooting on an American base
A Saudi military man in training in the United States, Mohammed al-Shamrani, 21, opened fire on December 6 at the Pensacola base in Florida, killing three and eight injured before being shot by the police. Investigators have established that he has been radicalized since at least 2015 and that his attack was " the result of years of planning and preparation, " FBI director Christopher Wray said at a press conference.
In early February, the shooting was claimed by the Al-Qaeda group in the Arabian Peninsula (Aqpa) and a few days later Washington announced that it had " eliminated " its leader Qassim al-Rimi. But nothing, until now, made it possible to say if the Saudi shooter was just inspired by the group or if he had been in direct contact with its members.
Read also: Washington says it killed the head of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula
American investigators, who asked Apple to be able to access the data on its phones, finally managed to recover it on their own, said Bill Barr, reproaching the Californian giant for not cooperating. The data collected show that he had devised his plan for years and that he was in contact with Aqpa agents throughout his American stay " until the eve of the attack, " according to Christopher Wray.
" He didn't just coordinate with them in terms of planning and tactics, he also helped them get the most out of the murders " by saving a will for propaganda purposes, said the FBI chief. For the New America think tank, this is the first deadly attack on American soil carried out so closely with Al Qaeda since the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Read also: Saudi soldier kills three at US naval base before being killed