When individuals are given access to our military bases from foreign countries to participate in our training programs, it is reasonable to assume the vetting process would be rather significant and thorough.
Clearly, that is not the case here, as we are now finding out the Saudi Air Force trainee, Ahmed Mohammed al-Shamrani, was possibly radicalized as far back as 2015.
This Wasn’t Hard to Find Out
If al-Shamrani was part of some secret plot that was well-hidden, one might be able to comprehend how he slipped through the cracks.
That, however, was not the case.
Within hours of the shooting, tweets that hinted at radicalization that were sent out by al-Shamrani were all over the media.
Not only that, only hours before he had carried out his attack, he reportedly made anti-American posts on social media.
He actually published a manifesto on Twitter for “crimes against Muslims,” yet he was still given access to the base and somehow managed to get a weapon on base as well.
Now, if you are on an airbase with access to our military equipment and weapons as well as being a foreign agent, why is this not something that is continuously monitored?
Furthermore, why were no flags raised due to the previous posts by al-Shamrani? Are we to believe reporters have a better vetting process than our government and military?
The Pentagon has now suspended the program, which currently involves about 850 visiting Saudi Arabians.
When Do We Look at the Saudis?
Not long after the attack, President Trump read a statement by the Saudis offering their condolences as well as distancing themselves from this attack.
The administration has continued to claim the Saudis are our allies, yet we know Saudis were involved in the 9/11 attacks.
Now, by no means should we condemn an entire county for the actions of a few, but there is a definitive pattern here.
At the very least, we must put significantly more restrictions on travelers from Saudi Arabia and surely much more stringent vetting and restrictions on individuals being admitted to these training programs.
The fact this particular individual was a member of the Saudi Air Force, however, IS a direct tie to Saudi leadership that claims to be our ally.
While I support President Trump, I cannot continue to support the position that Saudi Arabia is our ally.
Both 9/11 and the attack of this individual, a member of the Saudi military, are a clear cause for concern and at the very least, would move Saudi Arabia into an area of concern rather than still being considered a loyal and trusted ally.