FBI Investigating Florida Naval Station Shooting As A Terrorist Attack

A view of the Pensacola Naval Air Station following a shooting on December 06, 2019 in Pensacola, Florida. (Photo by Josh Brasted/Getty Images)
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Federal law enforcement is currently investigating the deadly shooting at the Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida as an act of terrorism, the FBI said on Sunday.

“We are, as we do in most active shooter investigations, work [sic] with the presumption that this was an act of terrorism,” said Rachel Rojas, the lead FBI investigator in the case, during a press conference.

Rojas told reporters that the top priority is figuring out whether the suspected shooter, Saudi national Ahmed Mohammed al-Shamrani, acted alone when he fired at the station on Friday, killing three people and injuring eight.

“Today we are here collectively focused on conducting additional interviews of witnesses, base personnel, and the shooter’s friends, classmates, and other associates,” she said. “Our main goal right now is to confirm whether he acted alone or was he a part of a larger network.”

National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien told CBS News “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan on Sunday that the shooting “appears to be a terrorist attack.”

“I don’t want to prejudge the investigation, but it appears that this may be someone that was radicalized,” he said.

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