Attorney General William Barr said Monday that the FBI and the Department of Justice have established a link between
Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani — the suspect in a December shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola — and al-Qaida.
Barr said federal agents established the link between Alshamrani and al-Qaida by accessing his phone. Barr said agents were able to unlock the phone on their own and did not receive help from Apple, despite the DOJ's request for assistance.
Four people, including the suspected shooter, were killed in the Dec. 6 shooting. Eight others were injured.
Alshamrani, a member of the Royal Saudi air force, was able to access the base through a program that trains foreign pilots at U.S. air bases. All other Saudi pilots in the program have since been expelled from the country.
