The gunman responsible for a deadly shooting rampage on a U.S. Naval airbase in Pensacola Florida allegedly had ties to al-Qaida operatives and contacted those operatives in the months leading up last December's attack.
According to the Associated Press, FBI investigators learned Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani communicated with a-Qaida operatives about the attack by cracking the encryption on Alshamrani’s iPhone.
We now have a clearer understanding of Alshamrani's associations in the years, months and days leading up to his attack,” Attorney General William Barr said at a news conference.
Investigators say unlocked iPhone revealed his contacts from al-Qaida operatives in the Arabian Penisula. They say Alshamrani, who was an aviation student from Saudi Arabia, was radicalized over the last five years.
“We know, for example, that he was sharing plans and tactics with them,” FBI Director Chris Wray said. “We know that he was coordinating with them and providing an opportunity for them to take credit for the attack.”
The attack left three men dead and injured eight others before the gunman was fatally shot by Escambia County Sheriff deputies.
