Iran Press/America: "I spoke with the king of Saudi Arabia. They are devastated, ? Trump told reporters Saturday as he left the White House on a trip to Florida. He said the king "will be involved in taking care of families and loved ones. He feels very strongly. ?
The shooting on Friday, inside a classroom at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, left three people dead and eight others wounded. The shooter was killed on site by sheriff's deputies.
Authorities confirmed the man was a second lieutenant in the Royal Saudi Air Force and was enrolled in flight training at the base, as part of a US Navy program designed to foster links with foreign allies.
Just hours before the shooting spree, the suspect is said to have posted criticism of US foreign policy, in addition to quotes from former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, on Twitter, according to a group that monitors online extremism.
The shooting raised uneasy parallels to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, when many of the al-Qaida-linked hijackers who flew planes into the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and Pennsylvania countryside were Saudi citizens who had flight training in the U.S.
Prominent conservative Trump critic Bill Kristol reacted by saying, "A disgrace. The King of Saudi Arabia is devastated? And he “will be involved in taking care of families and loved ones...?” Give me a break. Mr. Tough Talk on Terror turns out to be Mr. Soft on the House of Saud."
Kristol added that while it is appropriate for Trump to engage with Saudi leadership after the incident, "tweeting about the calls in this way is just engaging in pro-Saudi propaganda."
David E. Sanger published a New York Times article entitled "For Trump, Instinct After Florida Killings Is Simple: Protect Saudis" laying out a similar argument to Kristol. Max Boot went on CNN and denounced the president for hypocrisy, saying, "Imagine how he would've reacted to this terrorist attack if the shooter had been a Mexican immigrant or Muslim immigrant."
Top U.S. defense and military officials on Saturday reaffirmed America’s continued commitment to and relationship with Saudi Arabia.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper and others attending a security conference in California played down any initial impact on U.S.-Saudi ties.
Asked about any potential effect on military relations, Esper had said on Friday: ``We have strong military-to-military ties.” He added, “That’s the basis of our relationship with the Saudis. I don’t see this undermining” the military-to-military relationship.
In remarks at the Ronald Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, Esper was asked on Saturday whether he can say definitively that the shooting in Pensacola was terrorism. “No, I can’t say it’s terrorism at this time,” he said. Asked whether he would now hesitate to send American forces to Saudi Arabia, he said, “No, not at all.” He said the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have shared security interests.205
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