Saudi Arabia sought to distance itself Saturday from a student who carried out a fatal
shooting at an
American naval base, as it seeks to repair its image of being an exporter of Islamic extremism.
The Saudi military trainee reportedly condemned the US as a "nation of evil" before going on a rampage Friday at Naval Air Station Pensacola in
Florida, killing three people and wounding eight.
The shooting marks a setback in the kingdom's efforts to shrug off its longstanding reputation for promoting religious extremism after the September 11, 2001 attacks in which 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis.