(AP) — A taking pictures at a Texas naval air station that wounded a sailor and left the gunman lifeless early Thursday was being investigated as “terrorism-related,” the FBI stated, however divulged few particulars as to why.

At about 6:15 a.m., the gunman, who has not been recognized, tried to hurry by way of a safety gate at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, opening hearth and wounding the sailor, a member of base safety, U.S. officers informed The Related Press. However she was capable of roll over and hit the change that raised a barrier, stopping the person from getting onto the bottom, the officers stated.

Different safety personnel shot and killed the person.

There was an preliminary concern that he might have an explosive system, however Navy consultants swept the world and the automotive and located nothing. The officers spoke on situation of anonymity to debate particulars about an ongoing investigation. Officers have been nonetheless working to course of the crime scene late into the day and had recovered some kind of digital media.

The bottom was on lockdown for about 5 hours, but it surely was lifted shortly earlier than midday. The primary gate, the North Gate, was reopened, although the South Gate the place the incident occurred was nonetheless shut down.

FBI Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Leah Greeves stated at a information convention that investigators have been working to find out whether or not a second individual of curiosity was at massive however didn’t elaborate. She additionally wouldn’t focus on a possible motive or specify what led investigators to consider the taking pictures was associated to terrorism.

“Now we have decided that the incident this morning on the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi is terrorism associated,” Greeves stated. “We’re working diligently with our state, native and federal companions on this investigation, which is fluid and evolving.”

The FBI’s subject workplace in Houston has taken the lead on the investigation, and neither investigators nor the Navy supplied particulars on the shooter or a doable motive. Legal professional Basic William Barr has additionally been briefed, a Justice Division spokeswoman stated.

The injured sailor was discharged from a hospital the place he was handled for minor accidents, in keeping with a press release from the command.

The air station is surrounded by water on three sides and is residence to Naval pilot coaching since 1941, in keeping with its web site. Marine Corps, Navy, U.S. Coast Guard pupil pilots prepare there. It is also residence to the Corpus Christi Military Depot, a depot for the Division of Protection rotary wing plane.

The station had a similar lockdown final December. In one other incident on the base final 12 months, a person pleaded guilty to destruction of U.S. authorities property and possession of a stolen firearm for ramming his truck right into a barricade on the Corpus Christi station.

The taking pictures additionally comes months after a Saudi Air Pressure officer who was coaching at a Navy base in Pensacola, Florida, killed three U.S. sailors and wounded eight different folks in a taking pictures that American officers described as an act of terrorism. The nation’s prime federal regulation enforcement officers stated this week that the gunman in December’s assault, Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, had been in contact with al-Qaida operatives about planning and ways within the months earlier than the taking pictures. Alshamrani was killed by a sheriff’s deputy.

In keeping with U.S. officers, in contrast to Pensacola, there aren’t any worldwide or overseas nationwide college students on the Texas base. The army put numerous new security procedures in place after the Pensacola taking pictures to limit and higher display screen worldwide college students.

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Related Press author Eric Tucker in Washington, Jill Zeman in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report.

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