US Halts Military Training for Saudi Students after Shooting

By Staff, Agencies

The United States decided to stop training of all Saudi Arabian military personnel on its land until further notice after a Saudi airman shot and killed three people last week at a base in Florida.

The decision came after a Saudi air force officer went on a shooting rampage last week killing three US sailors.

The Pentagon's decision will have far-reaching impacts on visiting Saudi personnel, including grounding more than 300 Saudi Arabian military aviation students as part of a "safety stand-down".

The Pentagon later on Tuesday said the move would also affect infantry personnel and all other Saudi military training, other than classroom lessons. Such coursework, which includes English-language classes, will continue.

Mohammed Alshamrani, a 21-year-old lieutenant in the Saudi Royal Air Force, opened fire in a classroom at Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida on Friday, killing three American sailors and wounding eight other people before being shot dead by police.

A senior Pentagon official said the move was intended to allow for a broader review of security procedures that would eventually apply to all of some 5,000 international military students in the US.