By the Associated Press:
Top defense and military officials are reaffirming America’s continued commitment to and relationship with Saudi Arabia after a Saudi Air Force student’s deadly attack at a Navy base in Florida. Defense Secretary Mark Esper and others attending a security conference in California are playing down any initial impact on U.S.-Saudi ties., and President Donald Trump described a conciliatory conversation with the Saudi king. But the shooting also is testing the allies’ ties just months after the Trump administration delivered substantial military aid to Saudi Arabia to counter threats from Iran.
A US official says the Saudi student who fatally shot three people at Naval Air Station Pensacola had hosted a dinner party earlier in the week to watch videos of mass shootings. The official says a second Saudi student who attended the party recorded video outside the classroom building where the shooting was happening. The official also says 10 Saudi students are being held at the base and that several others are unaccounted for.The official spoke on condition of anonymity after being briefed by federal investigators.
