Saudi envoy to Washington visits US naval base hit by deadly shooting
Saudi Princess Reema bint Bandar, the kingdom's ambassador to the United States, visited the navy base in Pensacola, Florida, where she offered her condolences a week after a Saudi air force trainee went on a shooting spree.
Bandar visited the base "to personally extend her deepest condolences" for the shooting that left three people dead and eight wounded.
The suspect in the shooting was identified by US officials as Second Lieutenant Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, a member of the Saudi air force attending pilot training at the base.
US investigators believe Alshamrani, 21, acted alone when he attacked fellow students at the base last Friday, before he was fatally shot by a deputy sheriff.
The ambassador also wanted to "reinforce Saudi Arabia's full cooperation with US authorities in investigating this senseless act of violence", according to a statement issued by the Saudi embassy in Washington.
"During her visit, the Ambassador met with the command of the base and reiterated her condemnation of this horrific attack," the statement read.
"The ambassador stressed that she would remain fully engaged on the matter and would provide any assistance possible to accelerate the investigation."
The shootings have reopened questions about Washington's military relationship with Riyadh, which has come under heightened scrutiny in Congress over the war in Yemen and the slaying of Washington Post and Middle East Eye columnist Jamal Khashoggi last year in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
American military leaders have sought to portray the shootings as a localised issue that would not affect the two countries' relationship.
Mark Esper, the Pentagon chief, dismissed suggestions that the incident would make him reluctant about new US deployments to Saudi Arabia. "Saudi Arabia is a longstanding partner of ours in the region," Esper said over the weekend. "We share mutual security interests."
Meanwhile, Riyadh has worked to shift the blame, saying in a report that the shooter was radicalised prior to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman coming to power.
On Tuesday, in response to the shooting, the Pentagon announced it was suspending the training of 850 visiting students from the kingdom until further notice.
The move is a part of a broader review of the security procedures for foreign military students.
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