PENSACOLA, FL. (THECOUNT) — More than a dozen Saudi servicemen training at US military installations will be expelled from the United States after a review that followed the deadly shooting last month at a Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, reports CNN.
The Saudis are not accused of aiding the 21-year-old Saudi Air Force second lieutenant who killed three American sailors in the December shooting, two sources said, but some are said to have connections to extremist movements, according to a person familiar with the situation.
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A number are also accused of possessing child pornography, according to a defense official and the person familiar with the situation. The FBI and Justice Department declined to comment.
“In the wake of the Pensacola tragedy, the Department of Defense restricted to classroom training programs foreign military students from Saudi Arabia.”
Joshua Kaleb Watson of Enterprise, Alabama, has been identified as one of the victims in a shooting at a Naval Academy in Pensacola Friday, according to reports.
Watson, 23, died after Saudi student Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani opened fire at Naval Air Station Pensacola, resulting in his own death along with three other people. Eight other people were injured in the shooting.
According to his family, Watson was shot multiple times at NAS Pensacola but managed to escape, telling the first response team the location of Alshamrani.
He was transported to an area hospital where he was later pronounced dead of gunshot injuries.
The family says he died a hero, and friends ask for prayers during this time.
Watson graduated from Enterprise High School in 2014 and was known for his involvement in the JROTC program, the National Honor Society, and the French National Honor Society, reports WFLA.
After graduation, he spent four years at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he competed as part of the Navy’s rifle team.
FBI special agent Rachel Rojas said the investigation is still ongoing due to the size of the crime scene. They also have no motive yet and have fallen short of calling the incident terror related.
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Geo quick facts: Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, approximately 13 miles from the border with Alabama, and the county seat of Escambia County, in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 51,923, down from 56,255 at the 2000 census – Wikipedia.