Accused Base Shooter Hosted Creepy Dinner Before Attack

The Saudi student who fatally shot three people at a US naval base in Florida hosted a dinner party earlier in the week where he and three others watched videos of mass shootings, a US official told the AP on Saturday. One of the three students who attended the dinner party videotaped outside the building while the shooting was taking place at Naval Air Station Pensacola on Friday, said the US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity after being briefed by federal authorities. Two other Saudi students watched from a car, the official said. The official said 10 Saudi students were being held on the base Saturday while several others were unaccounted for. US officials had previously told the AP they were investigating possible links to terrorism.

A US official who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Friday identified the shooter as Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani. The official wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The official also said the FBI was examining social media posts and investigating whether he acted alone or was connected to any broader group. The assault, which prompted a massive law enforcement response and base lockdown, ended when a sheriff's deputy killed the attacker. Eight people were hurt in the attack, including the deputy and a second deputy who was with him. Earlier Friday, two US officials identified the student as a second lieutenant in the Saudi Air Force. (Saudi Arabia's king responded to the shooting.)