This article is more than 9 months old

This article is more than 9 months old

The Saudi student suspected of killing three people at a US navy base in Florida hosted a dinner party earlier in the week where he and three others watched videos of mass shootings, a US official told the Associated Press on Saturday.

One of the three students who attended the party videotaped outside the building while the shooting was taking place at Naval Air Station Pensacola on Friday morning, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity after being briefed by federal authorities.

Pensacola shooting: Saudi student kills three at Florida naval air station, says official Read more

Two other Saudi students watched from a car, the official said, adding that 10 Saudi students were being held on the base on Saturday while several others were unaccounted for.

According to a group that monitors online extremism, the man who opened fire appeared to have posted criticism of US wars and quoted Osama bin Laden on social media hours before opening fire. US officials had previously said they were investigating possible links to terrorism.

Authorities confirmed the suspect was a member of the Royal Saudi air force who was on the base as part of a US navy training program designed to foster links with foreign allies. In an emailed statement on Saturday, the FBI named him as second lieutenant Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, 21.

An uncle of Alshamrani, Saad bin Hantim Alshamrani, told CNN from Saudi Arabia his nephew was 21 and “likable and mannered towards his family and the community”. He said his nephew “has his religion, his prayer, his honesty and commitments”. If his nephew was guilty, then he will be “accountable before God”, the uncle said.

According to Site Intelligence Group, which tracks Islamist extremism on the internet, the younger Alshamrani appeared to have posted a justification of his planned attack in English on Twitter a few hours before it began.

He referred to US wars in the Middle East, writing that he hated the American people for “committing crimes not only against Muslims but also humanity” and criticizing Washington’s support for Israel, Site’s analysis said. He also quoted bin Laden, the Saudi mastermind of the attacks on the US on September 11, 2001, according to Site.

The US defense secretary, Mark Esper, said during a public appearance on Saturday that he was not ready to label the attack an act of terrorism.

The assault, which prompted a massive law enforcement response and base lockdown, ended when a sheriff’s deputy killed the attacker. Eight people were hurt including the deputy and a second deputy who was with him.

Family members identified one of the victims as a 23-year-old graduate of the US Naval Academy who alerted first responders to where the gunman was even after he had been shot several times.

“Joshua Kaleb Watson saved countless lives today with his own,” Adam Watson wrote on Facebook. “He died a hero and we are beyond proud but there is a hole in our hearts that can never be filled.”

The navy, in an emailed statement, named the other victims as Mohammed Sameh Haitham, 19, and Cameron Scott Walters, 21, both sailors studying at the base.

The Florida senator Rick Scott issued a scathing statement calling the shooting, the second on a US naval base this week, an act of terrorism “whether this individual was motivated by radical Islam or was simply mentally unstable”.

On Wednesday, a sailor whose submarine was docked at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, shot three civilians, killing two before killing himself.

Donald Trump declined to say whether the shooting was terrorism-related. The president tweeted his condolences to the families of the victims and noted that he had received a phone call from Saudi King Salman. He said the king told him that “this person in no way shape or form represents the feelings of the Saudi people”.

The Saudi government offered condolences to the victims and their families and said it would provide “full support” to US authorities.

The US has long had a robust training program for Saudis, providing assistance in the US and in the kingdom.

One of the US navy’s most historic and storied bases, Naval Air Station Pensacola sprawls along the waterfront south-west of the city’s downtown and dominates the economy of the surrounding area.

Pearl Harbor shooting: US sailor kills two civilians and injures third at military base Read more

Part of the base resembles a college campus, with buildings where 60,000 members of the navy, marines, air force and coast guard train each year. Around 200 students from outside the US are also enrolled in training, said the base commander, Capt Tim Kinsella.

The shooting took place in one classroom and the shooter used a handgun, authorities said. Weapons are not allowed on the base, which Kinsella said would remain closed until further notice.

Adam Watson said his brother was able to make it outside the classroom building to tell authorities where the shooter was after being shot “multiple” times. “Those details were invaluable,” he wrote.

Watson’s father, Benjamin Watson, was quoted by the Pensacola News Journal as saying his son was a recent graduate of the US Naval Academy who dreamed of becoming a navy pilot. He said he had reported to Pensacola two weeks ago to begin flight training.

“He died serving his country,” Benjamin Watson said.