Authorities are reportedly investigating whether the Pensacola Navy base gunman posted anti-American tweets before the deadly shooting

• Investigators are reportedly looking into anti-American tweets sent shortly before a deadly shooting on Friday at a Navy base in Pensacola, Florida.
• Three victims were killed in the attack and authorities fatally shot the gunman, whom authorities have identified as a Saudi national named Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani who was training in the US.
• The SITE Intelligence Group said the tweets contained words that echoed Osama Bin Laden, though they did not claim allegiance to any specific group.
• The New York Times reported that the account had criticized American foreign policy, calling the US a "nation of evil."
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The FBI is reportedly looking into several anti-American tweets shortly before a deadly shooting at a Florida Navy base were sent by the gunman.

The Pensacola News Journal reported that the tweets were posted at 4:39 a.m. Friday, just hours before the shooting was reported. Three victims were killed in the attack and authorities fatally shot the gunman, whom authorities have identified as a Saudi national named Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani who was training in the US.

The SITE Intelligence Group described the tweets as containing words that echoed Osama Bin Laden, though they did not claim allegiance to any specific group.

The account has since been suspended, but the group said that the Twitter account had a name and photograph that matched the identity of the gunman. Law-enforcement agencies have not officially commented on the tweets.

The New York Times reported that the account had criticized American foreign policy, calling the US a "nation of evil."

"I'm not against you for just being American," the posts said, according to The Times. "I don't hate you because your freedoms, I hate you because every day you supporting, funding and committing crimes not only against Muslims but also humanity."

The tweets are just some of a number of disturbing details about the suspect that have come to light since the shooting, including that the gunman reportedly hosted a dinner party not long before the attack, in which the guests watched mass shooting videos.

Yet despite the details, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday he could not confirm whether the attack was an act of terrorism, and that investigators needed to continue working to determine the motive.

• Read more:
• The 2 US Navy sailors being hailed as heroes in the Pensacola shooting were fresh out of military training
• The Pensacola Navy base shooter reportedly used a loophole to buy his gun legally
• Trump and his team are going out of their way to tell everyone how sorry Saudi Arabia is about the shooting at a Florida naval base
• Suspect in deadly shooting at Florida naval base hosted a dinner party to watch mass shooting videos before the attack, according to a US official