President Donald Trump revealed Friday that King Salman of Saudi Arabia phoned him to condemn a Saudi national who reportedly shot up a U.S. Navy Base.
“The King said that the Saudi people are greatly angered by the barbaric actions of the shooter and that this person in no way shape or form represents the feelings of the Saudi people who love the American people,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
The suspected shooter is Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, a pilot from the Saudi Arabian military who was training at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. He is accused of shooting and killing three people on Friday morning and wounding eight.
The president also spoke to reporters about the attack on Friday during a meeting with small business leaders.
“It’s a horrible thing that took place and we’re getting to the bottom of it,” he said.
Trump said that the Saudi king expressed “sincere condolences” and asked the president to “give his sympathies” to the families and friends who were killed and wounded.
Earlier in the day, Trump spoke with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis about the attack.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families during this difficult time,” Trump wrote. “We are continuing to monitor the situation as the investigation is ongoing.”
The F.B.I is investigating the case for a possible terrorist motivation.
DeSantis said that Saudi Arabia owed a debt to the military community for what happened.
“Obviously, the government of Saudi Arabia needs to make things better for these victims,” he said in a press conference on Friday. “They’re going to owe a debt here.”
Gov. DeSantis says he spoke to President Trump on the NAS Pensacola shooting:
"The government of Saudi Arabia needs to make things better for these victims. I think they're gonna owe a debt here given that this is one of their individuals." pic.twitter.com/pNzSE6x48f
— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 6, 2019
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