Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Saturday 7 december 2019
Saudi student opens fire at Florida Naval base, killing 3

Continued from Front Mark Esper said in a state-
ment Friday that he was
"The Ministry of Foreign Af- "considering several steps
fairs affirms that the perpe- to ensure the security of our
trator of this horrific attack military installations and the
does not represent the safety of our service mem-
Saudi people whatsoever," bers and their families." He
the government said in a did not elaborate.
statement. "The American The U.S. has long had a
people are held in the robust training program
highest regard by the Saudi for Saudis, providing assist-
people." ance in the U.S. and in the
Vice Minister of Defense kingdom.
Khalid bin Salman noted on The shooting, however,
Twitter that he and many shined a spotlight on the
Saudi military personnel two countries' sometimes
have trained on U.S. mili- rocky relationship.
tary bases and gone on to The kingdom is still trying to
fight ''against terrorism and recover from the killing last
other threats'' alongside year of Washington Post
American forces. "Today's columnist Jamal Khashoggi
tragic event is strongly con- at the Saudi Consulate in
demned by everyone in Istanbul. Saudi intelligence
Saudi Arabia,'' he said. officials and a forensic doc-
DeSantis said Saudi Arabia tor killed and dismembered
needed to be held to ac- In this Jan. 29, 2016 file photo shows the entrance to the Naval Air Base Station in Pensacola, Fla. Khashoggi on Oct. 2, 2018,
count for the attack. Associated Press just as his fiancée waited
"Obviously, the govern- outside the diplomatic
ment ... needs to make ing an immediate link to dered our people, that he calling the shooting an act mission. One of the Navy's
things better for these vic- terrorism. is a terrorist." of terrorism "whether this in- most historic and storied
tims," he said. "I think they're "If there is some connec- Stimson said it was also pos- dividual was motivated by bases, Naval Air Station
going to owe a debt here, tion to terrorism, well, then, sible that the shooter was radical Islam or was simply Pensacola sprawls along
given that this was one of that's that," Charles "Cully" "a disgruntled evil individual mentally unstable." the waterfront southwest
their individuals." Stimson said. "But let's not who was mad because he Scott added that it was of the city's downtown and
A national security expert assume that because he wasn't going to get his pilot "clear that we need to take dominates the economy of
from the Heritage Founda- was a Saudi national in wings, or he wasn't getting steps to ensure that any the surrounding area.
tion warned against mak- their air force and he mur- the qualification ratings and all foreign nationals Part of the base resem-
that he wanted, or he had are scrutinized and vetted bles a college campus,
a beef with somebody, or extensively before being with buildings where 60,000
there was a girlfriend in- embedded with our Ameri- members of the Navy, Ma-
volved who slighted him." can men and women in rines, Air Force and Coast
Florida U.S. Sen. Rick Scott is- uniform." Guard train each year in
sued a scathing statement U.S. Defense Secretary multiple fields of aviation.q

Supreme Court

temporarily
shields Trump
bank records

WASHINGTON (AP) — The
Supreme Court on Friday
temporarily shielded the
bank records of President
Donald Trump and three
of his children from House
Democrats.
In an order signed by Jus-
tice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, President Donald Trump smiles during a luncheon with
the House cannot en- members of the United Nations Security Council in the
force subpoenas issued to Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, Thursday,
Deutsche Bank and Capi- Dec. 5, 2019.
tal One at least until Dec. Associated Press
13. financial records and the what to do with the cases.
The justices are scheduled other is a demand from The district attorney has
to discuss at least one and the Manhattan district at- agreed to hold off enforc-
maybe two other similar torney for his tax returns. ing his subpoena until the
cases at their private con- The court already has justices act. A decision on
ference that day. One blocked the House from whether to hear the cas-
concerns a subpoena getting the financial re- es could come by mid-
from the House for Trump's cords while it considers December.q