Saudi King Expressed Anger at 'Barbaric' Shootings: Trump

Naval base attacker was a Saudi aviation student
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 6, 2019 3:44 PM CST
Saudi King Expressed Anger at 'Barbaric' Shootings: Trump
King Salman of Saudi Arabia called President Trump on Friday, the president tweeted.   (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)

President Trump said he received a phone call Friday from King Salman offering condolences after the shootings at a Florida naval base, apparently by a Saudi aviation student. "The King said that the Saudi people are greatly angered by the barbaric actions of the shooter," the president tweeted, "and that this person in no way shape or form represents the feelings of the Saudi people who love the American people." Three people were killed and at least eight wounded. The shooting suspect also was killed. "It's a horrible thing that took place, and we're getting to the bottom of it," Trump told reporters, USA Today reports.

"Obviously, the government of Saudi Arabia needs to make things better for these victims," Gov. Ron DeSantis said earlier Friday. "They’re going to owe a debt here." Trump would not say whether officials thought the attack might be an act of terrorism, but Rep. Matt Gaetz, whose district includes the base, tweeted: "This was not a murder. This was an act of terrorism." He posted a video in which he said the attack demonstrated a "serious failure in the vetting process" for people who come from other countries to train at the Pensacola base, per Politico. (The shooting began in a classroom.)

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