Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
FBI Says Texas Naval Base Shooting Is 'Terrorism-Related'
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
May 22, 2020

Share

A shooting at a Texas naval air station that wounded a sailor and left the gunman dead early Thursday was being investigated as “terrorism-related,” the FBI said, but divulged few details as to why.

The suspect was identified as Adam Alsahli of Corpus Christi, according to three officials familiar with the investigation who were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

At about 6:15 a.m., the gunman tried to speed through a security gate at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, opening fire and wounding the sailor, a member of base security, U.S. officials told the AP. But she was able to roll over and hit the switch that raised a barrier, preventing the man from getting onto the base, the officials said.

Other security personnel shot and killed the man.

There was an initial concern that he may have an explosive device, but Navy experts swept the area and the car and found nothing. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details about an ongoing investigation. Officials were still working to process the crime scene late into the day and had recovered some type of electronic media.

Later, federal agents were seen carrying items from inside a house that a Corpus Christi police tactical unit had surrounded and a public records search by local television station KRIS indicated was Alsahli’s last known address. A police spokesman would not confirm that the activity was related to the shooting at the Naval station.

The base was on lockdown for about five hours, but it was lifted shortly before noon. The main gate was reopened, though the gate where the incident occurred was still shut down.

FBI Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Leah Greeves said at a news conference that investigators were working to determine whether a second person of interest was at large but did not elaborate. She also would not discuss a potential motive or specify what led investigators to believe the shooting was related to terrorism.

“We have determined that the incident this morning at the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi is terrorism related,” Greeves said. “We are working diligently with our state, local and federal partners on this investigation, which is fluid and evolving.”

No International or Foreign National Students at the Texas Base

The FBI’s field office in Houston has taken the lead on the investigation, and neither investigators nor the Navy provided details on the shooter or a possible motive. Attorney General William Barr has also been briefed, a Justice Department spokeswoman said.

The injured sailor was discharged from a hospital where she was treated for minor injuries, according to a statement from the command.

The air station is surrounded by water on three sides and is home to Naval pilot training since 1941, according to its website. Marine Corps, Navy, U.S. Coast Guard student pilots train there. It’s also home to the Corpus Christi Army Depot, a depot for the Department of Defense rotary-wing aircraft.

The station had a similar lockdown last December. In another incident at the base last year, a man pleaded guilty to the destruction of U.S. government property and possession of a stolen firearm for ramming his truck into a barricade at the Corpus Christi station.

The shooting also comes months after a Saudi Air Force officer who was training at a Navy base in Pensacola, Florida, killed three U.S. sailors and wounded eight other people in a shooting that American officials described as an act of terrorism. The country’s top federal law enforcement officials said this week that the gunman in December’s attack, Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, had been in touch with al-Qaida operatives about planning and tactics in the months before the shooting. Alshamrani was killed by a sheriff’s deputy.

According to U.S. officials, unlike Pensacola, there are no international or foreign national students at the Texas base. The military put a number of new safety procedures in place after the Pensacola shooting to restrict and better screen international students.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Florida State Gunman Used Deputy Mom’s Former Service Weapon, Authorities Say

DON'T MISS

Giants Befuddled by Sánchez’s Changeup in Loss to the Phillies

DON'T MISS

Trump Officials’ Defiance Over Abrego Garcia’s Deportation Is ‘Shocking,’ Appeals Court Says

DON'T MISS

Jane Fonda Packs the Saroyan Theatre, Delivers an Empowering Message

DON'T MISS

AOC Emerges as Top Democratic White House Contender for 2028

DON'T MISS

Why Fresno Unified Tried to Keep Superintendent Search Secret

DON'T MISS

White House Eyes Overhaul of Federal Housing Aid to the Poor

DON'T MISS

Dems Step Up Trump Resistance as Base Hungers for More of a Fight

DON'T MISS

2 Killed and 5 Hurt in Florida State University Shooting; Gunman in Custody

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified Trustees Passed Over a National Superintendent of the Year

UP NEXT

Supreme Court to Hear Arguments on Trump Plan to End Birthright Citizenship

UP NEXT

Popular AIs Head-to-Head: OpenAI Beats DeepSeek on Sentence-Level Reasoning

UP NEXT

Al Sharpton Calls Meeting With Target’s CEO Amid DEI Backlash ‘Very Constructive and Candid’

UP NEXT

Former Pentagon Spokesman Tied to Online DEI Purge Was Asked to Resign

UP NEXT

The Kings Agree to Hire Scott Perry as General Manager, AP Source Says

UP NEXT

Shooting at Florida State Sends Students Running; Nearby Hospital Says It’s Treating People

UP NEXT

Actor Michelle Trachtenberg Died of Complications From Diabetes, Says NYC Medical Examiner

UP NEXT

Zoom Down for Thousands of Users, Downdetector Shows

UP NEXT

Puerto Rico Goes Dark After Widespread Power Plant Failure

UP NEXT

Harper and Realmuto Homer to Help Lead the Phillies to a Win Over the Giants

Jane Fonda Packs the Saroyan Theatre, Delivers an Empowering Message

12 hours ago

AOC Emerges as Top Democratic White House Contender for 2028

12 hours ago

Why Fresno Unified Tried to Keep Superintendent Search Secret

13 hours ago

White House Eyes Overhaul of Federal Housing Aid to the Poor

13 hours ago

Dems Step Up Trump Resistance as Base Hungers for More of a Fight

13 hours ago

2 Killed and 5 Hurt in Florida State University Shooting; Gunman in Custody

13 hours ago

Fresno Unified Trustees Passed Over a National Superintendent of the Year

13 hours ago

Hamas Ready to Release All Remaining Hostages for End to Gaza War, Hamas’ Gaza Chief Says

15 hours ago

Ford Recalls More Than 148,000 Vehicles, NHTSA Says

15 hours ago

Supreme Court to Hear Arguments on Trump Plan to End Birthright Citizenship

15 hours ago

Florida State Gunman Used Deputy Mom’s Former Service Weapon, Authorities Say

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The 20-year-old son of a sheriff’s deputy opened fire Thursday at Florida State University with his mother’s...

11 hours ago

11 hours ago

Florida State Gunman Used Deputy Mom’s Former Service Weapon, Authorities Say

11 hours ago

Giants Befuddled by Sánchez’s Changeup in Loss to the Phillies

11 hours ago

Trump Officials’ Defiance Over Abrego Garcia’s Deportation Is ‘Shocking,’ Appeals Court Says

12 hours ago

Jane Fonda Packs the Saroyan Theatre, Delivers an Empowering Message

12 hours ago

AOC Emerges as Top Democratic White House Contender for 2028

13 hours ago

Why Fresno Unified Tried to Keep Superintendent Search Secret

13 hours ago

White House Eyes Overhaul of Federal Housing Aid to the Poor

13 hours ago

Dems Step Up Trump Resistance as Base Hungers for More of a Fight

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend