Al-Qaeda claims Pensacola attack

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released a video taking responsibility for the December attack at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida. Saudi 2nd Lt. Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani killed three people when he opened fire inside a classroom at the base on Dec. 6. The Yemen branch of al-Qaeda has long been considered the most dangerous of the terrorist organization.

Is there evidence to back up the claim? The 18-minute video, reported by the SITE Intelligence Group, did not contain evidence that AQAP trained Alshamrani, but it did indicate he communicated with the group, said Rita Katz, director of SITE. The naval student from Saudi Arabia had been planning to attack a U.S. base for years, according to the video, which also included Alshamrani’s will from September 2019.

Dig deeper: Read more details about the attack in Mindy Belz’s Globe Trot.