Gun law loophole used by Saudi pilot in Pensacola rampage prompts FBI warning

The FBI has issued a warning that would possibly per chance-be terrorists and criminals would possibly per chance exploit the same U.S. gun law loophole that allowed a Saudi protection force pilot to legally procure a handgun he allegedly outmoded in alethal taking pictures rampagethis month at a Florida naval air space.

The warning used to be integrated in an intelligence legend launched on Monday thru which FBI officials mentioned, “This overview is made with excessive self belief.”

Mohammed Alshamrani, 21, a 2nd lieutenant in the Saudi air force who used to be in the United States for flight training, used to be in a situation to procure a Glock 9 mm pistol from a Florida gun shop by taking excellent thing about afederal gun law exceptionthat enables foreign nationals to legally procure weapons with an exact attempting license.

“The FBI assesses non-immigrant visa holder extremists and criminal actors virtually completely are able to exploiting a federal statutory exception that enables non-immigrant visa holders in the United States — who otherwise are prohibited from procuring or possessing a firearm or ammunition in the United States — to legally procure firearms, together with excessive-capability protection force-sort riles, with an exact attempting license or allow to habits a violent attack in the place of origin,” the FBI’s intelligence legend reads.

The FBI legend also states that foreign terrorist groups “likely will area extra messages encouraging U.S.-basically basically based extremists to milk perceived gaps in gun laws to construct weapons for a place of origin attack in the map term.”

The usage of a attempting license, Alshamrani sold his handgun on July 20 at Uber’s Lock & Gun shop in Pensacola, a supply conscious of the acquisition informed ABC Data.

Four months later, on Dec. 6, Alshamrani opened fire in a lecture room at Naval Air Dispute Pensacola, killing Ensign Joshua Watson, 23, Airman Mohammed Haitham, 19, and Airman Apprentice Cameron Walters, 21. Eight folk had been injured in the attack.

Alshamrani used to be shot and killed at the scene by Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies.

The FBI notorious in its legend that as of this month, an net look for “Can non-electorate defend guns in the U.S.?” confirmed a lot of articles on how non-immigrant visa holders can legally defend firearms in the occasion that they’ve an exact attempting license.

The Pensacola rampage is being investigated as an “act of domestic terrorism,” but federal authorities rep yet to definitively call it a terrorist attack.

Sources informed ABC Data that investigators determined the taking pictures used to be likely a “dread” attack impressed by radical Islamic ideology.

On Sept. 11, four months earlier than the massacre, Alshamrani posted a cryptic phrase on the procure, writing “the countdown has started”,in step with a Joint Intelligence Bulletingot by ABC Data.

The bulletin also acknowledged that Alshamrani’s social media accounts integrated references to non-Muslims as “infidels” and defended jihad.

In a single other net submit, Alshamrani integrated writings that had been in step with a 2010 train from American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, a essential al-Qaida figure killed in a 2011 CIA-led drone strike in Yemen, in step with the bulletin.