The man suspected of the shooting at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in Texas was a US resident originally born in Syria and a supporter of Salafi-jihadist ideology, CNN reported.
Adam Salim Alsahli, 20, was named by law enforcement officials as the suspect who drove to an entrance at the naval station Thursday morning and shot a security force member in the chest, according to CNN.
UPDATE: Now that next of kin has been notified, the FBI officially confirms that the suspect in Thursday’s #CorpusNASShooting has been identified as 20 year old Adam Salim Alsahli. #HOUNEWS
— FBI Houston (@FBIHouston) May 22, 2020
Alsahli began shooting after rushing the security gate with the vehicle, and security deployed a barrier to stop the vehicle. Alsahli exited the vehicle and began shooting, prompting security forces to return fire, killing the suspect. The security force member’s injuries were not life-threatening. (RELATED: FBI Reportedly Determines Corpus Christi Naval Air Station Shooting Was ‘Terrorism Related’)
Law enforcement technicians cleared his body and the vehicle for explosives.
Alsahli was a US resident originally born in Syria, and was a likely supporter of Salafi-jihadist ideology, a preliminary investigator determined according to CNN.
A search through social media accounts associated with Alsahli revealed online postings expressing support for ISIS and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). No terrorist groups have claimed responsibility for the attack yet on online platforms, sources told CNN.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said on Twitter that it is not “ruling out any possible motives and continue to investigate all leads,” and will release additional information when able to do so.
We are not ruling out any possible motives and continue to investigate all leads. When we are able to release additional information, we will do so.
We are asking anyone with any information about today’s shooting to please call 1-800-CALL-FBI. (3 of 3)
— FBI Houston (@FBIHouston) May 22, 2020
Investigators are considering the possibility that Alsahli was inspired by or connected to the terrorist attack on Naval Air Station Pensacola in December 2019, when Second Lt. Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, a Saudi Air Force cadet, shot three Americans and was later found to have been in contact with Al-Qaeda. Evidence linking Alsahli with the incident in Pensacola has not been discovered, although this is a key line of inquiry for investigators, sources told CNN.
