The Saudi embassy in Washington said it was coordinating continuously with the US authorities to apply all measures to protect American and Saudi citizens from terrorist threats.
In an official statement on Tuesday, the embassy commented on the investigation findings of the December attack in the Naval Air Station Pensacola, saying: “The Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reiterates its sincerest condolences to the American people on the tragedy that unfolded in December at Pensacola, Florida, and welcomes the announcement by US law authorities of the recovery of critical intelligence from the assailant's telephones.”
The statement continued: “It is important to note that the military training the US provides to Saudi military personnel has enabled Saudi soldiers, pilots and sailors to fight along their American counterparts and against our common foes. Our close intelligence and counterterrorism cooperation has saved lives in the United States, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, and undoubtedly made the world a safer place.”
Approximately 28,000 Saudis have undergone military training in the US over the course of several decades, the embassy underlined.
“As this attack tragically reminds us, the extremists and terrorists that threaten both our nations will not stop in their efforts to target innocent people...” it remarked.
“But we will never let the terrorists win, or allow their acts of hatred to divide us. The US-Saudi partnership is one of the primary pillars of the global effort to dismantle and defeat terrorist networks such as AQAP (Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula). And our two countries will maintain our unbreakable commitment to combat the forces of evil, wherever they exist,” the statement concluded.
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in a press statement on Monday that based on the results of the FBI, and in addition to the precautionary measures already implemented, the department would take more prudent and effective measures to protect the Americans from any possible attack.