SIX Saudi nationals arrested after Pensacola naval base shooting

• Shooting took place on base early Friday morning, sparking a lockdown  
• Sources identified the suspected gunman as Saudi Air Force aviation student Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani 
• As of Friday evening, six Saudi nationals have been detained for questioning 
• It's reported that three of them filmed the shooting as it happened 
• Rep Matt Gaetz, a Republican representing Pensacola, called the shooting 'an act of terrorism'  
• President Trump tweeted that King Salman told him 'the Saudi people are greatly angered by the barbaric actions of the shooter...' 
• Three other people were shot and killed during incident inside classroom building on base 

Six Saudi nationals have been arrested after an Air Force trainee - also from Saudi Arabia - opened fire at a naval base in Florida, killing three people and injuring eight. 

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The men were detained near the scene of the shooting, which took place at Naval Air Station in Pensacola early Friday morning. It is currently unclear why they have been taken into custody.  

Three of the six Saudis were seen filming the entire incident as it unfolded, a source told The New York Times on Friday evening.  

No officials have yet stated whether any of them were students inside the classroom where the shooting occurred. 

Authorities are probing whether the incident is terror-related.  

The shooter, who was shot dead by police, was first identified by NBC News, citing unnamed sources, as Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani.

US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, said the suspect was a second lieutenant attending the aviation school at the base.

Military from around the globe attend the Naval Air Station in Pensacola for flight training. 

President Donald Trump this afternoon tweeted that he spoke on the phone with Saudi Arabia's King Salman, who he said expressed 'sincere condolences' to those impacted by the shooting. 

Trump added that King Salman informed him the Saudi people love Americans and 'are greatly angered by the barbaric actions of the shooter...'

Shortly before 8pm Eastern Time, Saudi officials condemned the shooting and claimed they are willing to cooperate with the investigation. 

The shooter opened fire in a classroom building shortly before 7am Friday. The attack left four people dead, including the assailant, and eight others wounded.  

Florida news outlets, citing sources, on Friday afternoon identified the suspected gunman as Saudi second lieutenant Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani and released this photo that purports to show the alleged shooter (pictured by NBC 6 South Florida)

Police share updates on deadly shooting at Naval Air Station

A gunman opened fire at Naval Air Station Pensacola Friday morning, killing three people and injuring eight others before being shot dead by sheriff's deputies

Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said at a press conference on Friday two of his deputies engaged the gunman and took him out

Heavy police presence was reported at the scene of the shooting Friday morning

Heavy police presence was reported at the scene of the shooting Friday morning

During an afternoon press briefing, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed the shooter was from Saudi Arabia, which has long relied on the US to train it military officers.  

'There's obviously going to be a lot of questions about this individual being a foreign national, being a part of the Saudi air force and then to be here training on our soil,' DeSantis told reporters.

'Obviously the government of Saudi Arabia needs to make things better for these victims. And I think they are going to owe a debt here given that this is one of their individuals.'

Of the 19 men involved in the September 11 attacks, 15 were Saudi and some of them attended flight school in Florida.   

In recent weeks, 18 naval aviators and two aircrew members from the Royal Saudi Naval Forces were training with the US Navy, including at Pensacola, according to a November 15 press release from the Navy. It was not clear if the suspected shooter was part of that delegation.

The delegation came under a Navy program that offers training to US allies, known as the Naval Education and Training Security Assistance Field Activity.

A person familiar with the program said that Saudi Air Force officers selected for military training in the United States are intensely vetted by both countries.

An ambulance is seen arriving at the scene of the mass shooting at NAS Pensacola

An armored vehicle is pictured on the scene during Friday's shooting that claimed three innocent lives

A medical helicopter is seen in the skies over Pensacola, Florida, Friday morning

Governor DeSantis speaks after deadly shooting at Florida Navy base

Twenty 'hand-picked' Saudi airmen training at Pensacola are among the 62,700 foreign military personnel the US trains each year

In the 2018 fiscal year, some 62,700 foreign military students from 155 countries participated in U.S.-run training, the total cost of which was approximately $776.3 million, according to DoD records. 

Among them is a contingent Saudis who recently arrived at Naval Air Station Pensacola.

In recent weeks, 18 naval aviators and two aircrew members from the Royal Saudi Naval Forces were training with the U.S. Navy, including a stint at Pensacola, according to a November 15 press release from the Navy. 

It was not clear if the suspected shooter was part of that delegation.

The delegation came under a Navy program that offers training to U.S. allies, known as the Naval Education and Training Security Assistance Field Activity.

A person familiar with the program said that Saudi Air Force officers selected for military training in the United States are intensely vetted by both countries.

The Saudi personnel are 'hand-picked' by their military and often come from elite families, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they did not have permission to speak to a reporter. Trainees must speak excellent English, the person said.

Saudi Arabia's embassy in Washington did not respond to questions. 

Saudi Arabia, a major purchaser of U.S. arms, accounts for a massive portion of America's spending on foreign military training.

In the 2018 fiscal year, the U.S. trained 1,753 Saudi military members at an estimated cost of $120,903,786, according to DoD records. 

For fiscal year 2019, the State Department planned to train roughly 3,150 Saudis in the U.S.  

-Keith Griffith for DailyMail.com and Reuters 

The Saudi personnel are 'hand-picked' by their military and often come from elite families, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they did not have permission to speak to a reporter. Trainees must speak excellent English, the person said.   

Officials announced Friday morning that the shooter was killed by two Escambia County Sheriff's deputies, who were injured during the exchange. 

Three of the fatally injured people were pronounced dead at the scene and the fourth passed away at the hospital.  

'This was an act of terrorism,' Rep Matt Gaetz, a Republican representing Pensacola, told the station WEAR.

The congressman said the investigation into the shooting has been handed over from NCIS to the FBI, signaling that it was 'not an act of workplace violence,' but rather an act of terror. 

After news broke that the suspect was a Saudi national, Donald Trump tweeted that 'King Salman of Saudi Arabia just called to express his sincere condolences and give his sympathies to the families and friends of the warriors who were killed and wounded in the attack that took place in Pensacola, Florida.'

The President continued: '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.'

Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said a 911 call was received at 6.51am central time reporting an active shooter on base. 

Two deputies confronted the gunman inside a classroom building and exchanged gunfire, killing the perpetrator.  

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It has since been revealed that the gunman was armed with a handgun.  

One of the officers suffered a gunshot wound to the arm, while the other was shot in the knee and underwent surgery. 

Morgan said both deputies are expected to recover.    

In total, eight people were taken to Baptist Health Care in Pensacola, one of whom later died.   

Law enforcement and US Navy officials declined to release any information concerning the identities of the shooter and the victims pending the notification of next of kin. 

Commanding officer Timothy Kinsella said the base's security forces first responded to the shooting before outside police agencies arrived. 

The facility, which is used for training and made up mostly of classrooms, 'is shut down until further notice,' he said.

Florida State Troopers block traffic over the Bayou Grande Bridge leading to the Pensacola Naval Air Station

This map shows the location of the sprawling Naval Air Station Pensacola

Sheriff Morgan said the crime scene was spread over two floors, which were left littered with spent shell casings. 

'Walking through the crime scene was like being on the set of a movie,' he revealed.  

Federal agencies are investigating, authorities said, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.    

St. John's Catholic School, located directly outside the air station, was placed on lockdown as a precaution.  

Eight people were taken to Baptist Health Care in Pensacola from the site of the shooting

A Facebook message from NAS Pensacola this morning confirmed an active shooter situation

PREVIOUS MASS SHOOTINGS AT  US MILITARY FACILITIES 

While mass shootings in the United States are common, those at military facilities are rare.

In July 2015, Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez carried out an attack at two military installations in Tennessee that killed four Marines and a sailor, with the FBI concluding that the violence was inspired by a "foreign terrorist group."

Two years earlier, Aaron Alexis killed 12 people and wounded eight others at the Washington Navy Yard, just two miles (three kilometers) from the US Capitol building, before being shot dead by officers.

Four years before that, Major Nidal Hasan, a US Army psychiatrist, killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 others at Fort Hood.

He was considered a "lone wolf" who supported terror network Al-Qaeda.

Supporters of tighter gun laws seized on the latest shooting.

'Our veterans and active-duty military put their lives on the line to protect us overseas -- they shouldn't have to be terrorized by gun violence at home,' Cindy Martin, a volunteer with the Florida chapter of Moms Demand Action whose daughter works at the naval base, said in a statement. 

                                                                                                                                    

NAS Pensacola employs more than 16,000 military and 7,400 civilian personnel, according to its website. 

One of the Navy’s most historic and storied bases, it sprawls along the waterfront southwest of downtown Pensacola and dominates the economy of the surrounding area.

It’s home to the Blue Angels flight demonstration team, and includes the National Naval Aviation Museum, a popular regional tourist attraction.

The shooting in Pensacola comes less than 48 hours after an active duty US sailor opened fire at Pearl Harbor's naval shipyard in Hawaii, killing two civilian workers and injuring a third, before taking his own life.