Saudi military students resume US flight training: report

Saudi military students have returned to U.S. flight training, three months after a Saudi student shot and killed three U.S. sailors in Pensacola, Fla. 

The U.S. Navy released a statement obtained by The Hill saying the flight training resumed Tuesday after it was suspended for 850 Saudi students following the December shooting. Operational training, such as flying and other training outside the classroom, was able to start after more safety restrictions were added. 

“The Navy is making every effort to minimize disruptions to our foreign national partners while implementing the revised security initiatives,” the statement said. “Foreign military training remains one of the most effective tools to advance U.S. national security, and these actions will enable the Navy to continue to strengthen our alliances and build our partnerships.”

The Navy also banned international students from owning personal firearms and restricted where they can go on bases. The students needed to agree to the terms to be allowed in the program.  

Defense Secretary Mark Esper asked for a review process to be finished by March 13 to see if U.S. officials could detect signs of radicalization that they may not have noticed when a student joined. 

The precautions follow Saudi Air Force officer Mohammed Alshamrani killing three sailors and injuring eight others late last year. The Justice Department announced it had sent 21 Saudi military students back after discovering that they had posted jihadist or anti-American opinions or had come in “contact with child pornography.”

Updated: 10:30 p.m.