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US Navy Grounds 175 Saudi Aviation Students Following Mass Shooting - Reports

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US Navy temporarily grounded all Saudi aviation students studying at military bases in the United States following a likely terrorist-inspired mass shooting that killed three sailors and injured eight, Military.com reported.
Sputnik
"A safety stand-down and operational pause began Monday for some 175 Saudi Arabian students at Naval Air Stations Pensacola, Whiting Field and Mayport, all in Florida", Lieutenant Andriana Genualdi, a Navy spokesperson told the publication on Tuesday.

Following the 6 December shooting by a Saudi second lieutenant in training at Pensacola, training was suspended for all personnel.

Genualdi said some commands have resumed training, including those with international military students.

The stand-down comes as the US Navy and federal agencies continue to investigate the shooting.

FBI officials have characterised the massacre as a presumed act of terrorism, citing a Twitter post by the shooter, identified as Mohammed Saeed al-Shamrani, that accused the United States of being anti-Muslim and attacked US support of Israel. Alshamrani was killed by a sheriff's deputy in a shooting exchange.

It was reported that ahead of the attack, the shooter staged a "party" to watch mass shooting videos along with three other Saudi students.

About 140 Saudi Arabian students are currently at Pensacola; the base is now training 272 students from international militaries in total, the report said.

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